Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) have established a collaboration to use artificial intelligence to advance nuclear energy technology. The partnership will apply AWS\u2019s cloud computing infrastructure and AI tools to INL\u2019s work on next-generation nuclear reactors.<\/p>\n
The primary goal is to develop technologies that reduce the cost and time required to design, license, build, and operate nuclear facilities. The long-term objective is to enable safe and reliable autonomous operation of advanced reactors, accelerating their deployment.<\/p>\n
\u201cINL is committed to accelerating nuclear energy deployment, advancing autonomous nuclear operations and leading nuclear energy science through transformational AI technology \u2014 achieved with AWS and the nuclear energy industry,\u201d said Chris Ritter, division director of Scientific Computing and AI at INL.<\/p>\n
Utilizing AWS\u2019s computing power<\/p>\n
Under the agreement, INL will utilize AWS\u2019s advanced computing power, AI foundation models through Amazon Bedrock, and specialized hardware.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough this collaboration with AWS, we have access to AI models, GPUs (graphical processing units) and specialized cloud services, including Amazon\u2019s Bedrock service, which will enable INL researchers to use many leading foundation models to build nuclear energy applications,\u201d added Ritter.<\/p>\n
INL Director John Wagner stated the partnership is a key step for the nation\u2019s energy goals. \u201cBy leveraging AWS\u2019s cutting-edge cloud computing and AI solutions, we can accelerate nuclear energy deployment for America,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
From the industry perspective, AWS views the technology as a way to improve reactor safety and efficiency.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAWS\u2019s powerful AI and computing technology will support Idaho National Laboratory\u2019s development of autonomous nuclear reactors to pioneer a future where civilian nuclear operations are safer, smarter and more responsive,\u201d said David Appel, vice president for AWS.<\/p>\n
Creation of digital twin<\/p>\n
A key initial project will be the creation of a digital twin for a small modular reactor (SMR). A digital twin is a virtual model of a physical asset that uses near real-time data to run complex simulations. This is an important step toward using AI for autonomous control systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cINL will use AWS Compute and AI tools to develop a digital twin of a small modular reactor \u2014 nuclear reactors that range in size from 20 to 300 megawatts of electricity,\u201d INL explained in a press release<\/a>.<\/p>\n The effort is part of a larger INL strategy to create an ecosystem where government laboratories, AI firms, and nuclear developers can collaborate.\u00a0<\/p>\n One potential future application for these advanced autonomous reactors is to provide clean, reliable power for large-scale data centers<\/a>.<\/p>\n Using AI for nuclear energy<\/p>\n