INL to use Microsoft’s AI to streamline nuclear licensing
The Idaho National Laboratory has announced that it will collaborate with Microsoft on the use of artificial intelligence technologies to streamline the nuclear permitting and licensing application process. Using Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing platform, INL will generate the engineering and safety analysis reports that are required to be submitted for construction permits and operating licenses for nuclear power plants.
“This is a big deal for the nuclear licensing process,” Jess Gehin, associate laboratory director for Nuclear Science and Technology at INL, said on July 16. “Introducing AI technologies will enhance efficiency and accelerate the deployment of advanced nuclear technologies.”
The Department of Energy’s Office of Nuclear Energy is funding the project through the National Reactor Innovation Center, which works with industry to support the development of advanced nuclear.
Crunching data: For reactor developers, generating these large, detailed reports is typically a time-consuming and expensive process that requires compiling safety data and language from multiple sources. To streamline the process, Azure is designed to ingest and analyze nuclear engineering and safety documents, and generate documentation required for nuclear licensing by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the DOE.
INL said the AI tool has wide applicability for nuclear energy-related licensing, including new light water reactors and upgrades to existing light water reactors. Azure could be especially useful for licensing advanced reactors, which often have different designs, fuels, coolants, and materials than the conventional reactors typically reviewed by the NRC. The technology can generate reports for any nuclear facility licensed through NRC or DOE authorization, including nuclear energy test facilities.
According to INL, the Microsoft platform does not perform analyses on the documents but rather automates the process of constructing licensing documents for subsequent human verification.
Accelerating the process: INL’s collaboration with Microsoft could assist in meeting the requirements of the ADVANCE Act of 2024, which includes provisions on licensing reform for advanced nuclear reactors, and President Trump’s May 23 executive orders, which aim to boost domestic nuclear deployment by accelerating the nuclear licensing process.
Both the ADVANCE Act and the May executive orders also seek to reduce regulatory barriers to nuclear development by addressing the NRC’s lengthy and costly licensing process.
Obtaining a license through the NRC can take multiple years, and the agency, which is required to recover as much of its budget as possible through fees charged to applicants and licensees, charges a professional hourly rate of $318 for fiscal year 2025. The NRC announced in June, however, that it will charge $148 per hour to advanced nuclear reactor applicants in compliance with the ADVANCE Act, starting October 1.
Quotables: “Artificial intelligence technologies can enable a new frontier of innovation and advancement by automating routine processes, accelerating development, and freeing scientists and researchers to focus on the real complex challenges affecting our society,” said Heidi Kobylski, vice president for Federal Civilian Agencies, Microsoft. “We are honored to collaborate with INL to help address the complicated process of nuclear licensing to potentially help speed the approval of nuclear reactors necessary to support our increasing energy demands.”
“AI holds significant potential to accelerate the process to design, license, and deploy new nuclear energy for the nation’s increasing energy needs,” said Chris Ritter, division director of Scientific Computing and AI at INL. “INL looks forward to early research to evaluate the applicability of generative AI in the nuclear licensing space.”
