Microsoft and Nvidia have formed an “AI for nuclear” partnership intended to streamline the permitting, design, and operations of nuclear power plant facilities, and highlighted the collaboration at CERAWeek 2026 in Houston earlier this week.

Microsoft said in an announcement that the collaboration will build a “connected, AI-powered foundation” of AI tools that energy developers will be able to use to make work “repeatable, traceable, secure, and predictable,” all the while reducing work timelines and maintaining safety.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has finalized its new regulatory framework for advanced reactors that officials believe will accelerate, simplify, and reduce burdens in the new reactor licensing process.

The final rule arrives more than a year ahead of an end-of-2027 deadline set in the Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act (NEIMA), the 2019 law that formally directed the NRC to develop a new, technology-inclusive regulatory approach. The resulting rule—10 CFR Part 53, “Risk-Informed, Technology-Inclusive Regulatory Framework for Advanced Reactors”—is commonly referred to as Part 53.

Even a last-minute cancelation from Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright could not derail the optimism permeating day 1 of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s annual Regulatory Information Conference (RIC).

The optimistic theme came up several times during the morning plenary sessions that highlighted Tuesday’s agenda. The NRC commissioners who spoke said the optimism was a result of the “nuclear renaissance” they are encountering that feels different from past nuclear-related revivals that didn’t materialize.

Thursday was a busy news day for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, with three significant announcements.

In the span of a few hours, the NRC released the news of Ho Nieh’s promotion to chair, the reversal of the plan to sunset its aircraft impact assessment provisions, and new guidance for interagency collaboration.

Nieh

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is now back up to four commissioners. Following a 66–32 confirmation vote in the U.S. Senate last month, Ho Nieh was officially sworn in last week.

He fills the seat left vacant following the dismissal of Christopher Hanson and is set to serve through the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029.

Quotable: “I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the NRC to work alongside such a competent and dedicated workforce," said Nieh, in the NRC’s press release announcing his being sworn in. "This agency shaped my career and my commitment to nuclear safety. It is an incredible honor to have been appointed by President Trump to serve on the Commission, and I look forward to serving alongside Chairman Wright, Commissioner Crowell, and Commissioner Marzano. I am energized by the opportunities the NRC has to enable the safe use of nuclear technologies for America during this pivotal period in its history.”

Nieh

Earlier today, the U.S. Senate officially confirmed Ho Nieh in a 66–32 vote to serve as a commissioner on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission through the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029. All present Republicans, alongside 15 Democrats and one Independent, cast their votes in favor of Nieh, who was nominated by President Trump in July and fills the seat left vacant following the dismissal of former commissioner Christopher Hanson.

NRC details: The commission leading the NRC now comprises four members. Nieh joins Chair David Wright and commissioners Bradley Crowell and Matthew Marzano. One spot remains unfilled after the resignation of Annie Caputo in July. President Trump nominated Douglas Weaver earlier this month to fill Caputo’s seat.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Nuclear Society (ANS) applauds the U.S. Senate’s confirmation of Ho Nieh to serve as a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC):

Nieh

Ho Nieh, the Trump administration’s nominee to be a member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and four new board members of the Tennessee Valley Authority were approved in a vote today by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and head to the Senate floor for a final vote.

The committee also voted to advance to the Senate floor the Nuclear REFUEL Act of 2025 (S. 2082), which would smooth the regulatory pathway for recycling used nuclear fuel.

President Donald nominated Nieh on July 30 to serve as NRC commissioner for the remainder of a term set to expire June 30, 2029, which was held by former NRC commissioner Chris Hanson, who Trump fired in June.

During a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing today, Ho Nieh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, was urged to maintain the agency’s independence regardless of political pressure from the Trump administration.

Nieh

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a nomination hearing Wednesday for Ho Nieh, President Donald Trump’s nominee to serve as a commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Trump nominated Nieh on July 30 to serve as NRC commissioner the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029, as Nuclear NewsWire previously reported.

Nieh has been vice president of regulatory affairs at Southern Nuclear since 2021, though since June 2024 he has been at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations as a loaned executive.

A return to the NRC: If confirmed by the Senate, Nieh would be returning to the NRC after three previous stints totaling nearly 20 years.

Nieh

President Trump recently nominated Ho Nieh for the role of commissioner at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission through the remainder of a term that will expire June 30, 2029.

Nieh has been the vice president of regulatory affairs at Southern Nuclear since 2021, though he is currently working as a loaned executive at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, where he has been for more than a year.

Nieh’s experience: Nieh started his career at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, where he worked primarily as a nuclear plant engineer and contributed as a civilian instructor in the U.S. Navy’s Nuclear Power Program.

From there, he joined the NRC in 1997 as a project engineer. In more than 19 years of service at the organization, he served in a variety of key leadership roles, including division director of Reactor Projects, division director of Inspection and Regional Support, and director of the Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.