Diablo Canyon Manages Nuclear Reactor Paperwork with AI

PG&E Launches First Commercial Deployment of On-Site Generative AI Solution for the Nuclear Energy Sector at Diablo Canyon
Atomic Canyon’s ‘Neutron Enterprise’ AI solution aims to revolutionize PG&E’s approach to managing vast regulatory and operations datasets at the Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is deploying Atomic Canyon’s artificial intelligence-powered solutions for the nuclear energy sector at PG&E’s Diablo Canyon Power Plant.

Atomic Canyon’s Neutron Enterprise generative AI solution, built and running on NVIDIA’s full-stack AI platform, is being deployed at Diablo Canyon to transform document search and retrieval, and deliver significant cost savings and improved operational efficiency.

Federal and state regulations require utilities that operate nuclear power plants to manage billions of pages of technical documentation, which are spread across multiple systems. Power plant personnel must spend both time and resources to retrieve this essential data accurately and reliably.

Having access to Atomic Canyon’s pioneering Neutron Enterprise solution means Diablo Canyon will revolutionize its approach to managing these vast datasets. Neutron Enterprise will integrate seamlessly with Diablo Canyon’s systems, using the latest optical character recognition (OCR), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and AI-powered search technology to cut search times in local and external sources from hours to seconds. Teams will be able to access critical information faster and more reliably, allowing them to focus on high-value tasks and decision-making.

The Neutron Enterprise solution is powered by Atomic Canyon’s FERMI family of AI models, developed in collaboration with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and specifically designed for the nuclear energy sector. With FERMI’s domain expertise, Neutron Enterprise leverages generative AI and RAG to revolutionize how nuclear facilities access, draft, and collaborate on critical documentation.

This deployment uses NVIDIA’s full-stack AI computing platform, including NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, NVIDIA Triton Inference Server software and NVIDIA Hopper architecture GPUs, which accelerate Atomic’s Neutron Enterprise solution. With billions of data points to process across multiple data repositories in structured and unstructured formats, the nuclear industry can tap into NVIDIA AI and accelerated computing for more efficient workflows.

As California’s only remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon provides nearly 9% of the state’s electricity and generates 17% of its zero-carbon energy. With the California Energy Commission estimating that power demand across the state will rise roughly 43% in the next 15 years, Diablo Canyon will only become a more critical clean, reliable energy asset.

How the AI System Works

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS) is a tribute to the proverb that for an agency that has procedures for just about everything it does with regulated organizations, you can never have too many documents.

In all the NRC has an estimated 50 million plus documents that are online and available to the public via a text based search system. Everything that a nuclear utility applying for a license, or modifying one, or doing the countless other things that require the agency’s approval, winds up being documented and stored in ADAMS.

While some topical technical reports are not available, due to their containing propriety technical information, the vast majority of submissions can be found but often only after multiple rounds of searching and sifting results from the massive DBMS.

Finding things in ADAMS is both a science and an art. Knowing whether you got the right document, or all of the right documents, is a critical success factor when any entity regulated by the NRC is working on a compliance project.

Atomic Canyon CEO Trey Lauderdale told Neutron Bytes in a phone interview last March “its all about unlocking workflow efficiency. Our AI is a knowledgeable navigator, making data more accessible and promoting industry knowledge-sharing.”

According to Lauderdale, the firm trained the AI search engine on 52 million pages of documents from publicly accessible data at the NRC.

“What we are doing is knocking the fire hose down to size,” says Lauderdale.

Atomic Canyon Partnership with ORNL

frontier super cpu Atomic Canyon partnered with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), home of the , to build a safe, open-source AI model for the nuclear sector. Atomic Canyon used Frontier – the world’s fastest supercomputer – to train the company’s AI model to understand complex nuclear terminology.

The AI software uses sentence-embedding models. These algorithms convert written sentences into numerical representations to allow AI to grasp nuclear terminology and accurately discern information. According to the company, this deeper understanding makes their AI application more effective and helps prevent AI “hallucinations” and biases during search and data analysis.

The model will not be trained on sensitive information on the design or operation of nuclear technologies, but will be able to assist with analyzing a vast array of public regulatory guides, inspection reports, and other documents, with the goal of increasing safety and public accountability.

& & &

Oklo to Acquire Atomic Alchemy to Expand into Radioisotope Market

The proposed acquisition leverages Oklo’s fast reactor and fuel recycling technologies to integrate radioisotope production to support critical needs in cancer treatment, diagnostic imaging, and clean energy applications.
Oklo proposes to acquire Atomic Alchemy for $25 million in an all-stock transaction.

oklo logo Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) has signed a letter of intent to acquire Atomic Alchemy Inc., a U.S.-based company specializing in the production of radioisotopes. Oklo’s fast reactor and fuel recycling technologies produce valuable coproducts, such as radioisotopes, through their respective processes.

The proposed acquisition builds upon the strategic partnership announced earlier this year between Oklo and Atomic Alchemy earlier this year, demonstrating the opportunity to combine Oklo’s power generation and fuel recycling capabilities with Atomic Alchemy’s radioisotope production expertise to accelerate fuel production for Oklo’s powerhouses, and to create new revenue streams from radioisotopes.

Atomic Alchemy’s technologies also include capabilities to perform Neutron Transmutation Doping of Silicon, or “NTD.” NTD is considered a “gold-standard” process that utilizes the neutrons produced in a nuclear reactor to convert some of the silicon atoms into phosphorus via nuclear transmutation.

The firm said NTD offers a superior method for semiconductor doping because an entire ingot can be doped prior to wafering; the dopant is distributed uniformly throughout the ingot; large volumes of semiconductor material can be irradiated in batches; the process can be used on more than one type of semiconductor; and NTD allows for fine-tuning the amount of dopant added. Given the current high level of demand for state-of-the-art semiconductors, the firm assert that NTD capabilities may be transformative to the semiconductor industry.

“The proposed acquisition is expected to enable Oklo to significantly broaden its impact, as our fast reactor and fuel recycling technologies allow us to produce radioisotopes as a coproduct,” said Jacob DeWitte, co-founder and CEO of Oklo.

“By incorporating radioisotope production into our fuel recycling process, Oklo is establishing a complementary revenue stream and contributing to a more resilient radioisotope supply chain.”

Sam Altman, Chairman and Board Member of Oklo, said, “Oklo’s proposed acquisition of Atomic Alchemy opens the door for nuclear technology to play an even greater role in solving critical energy, medical, and industrial challenges.”

Key highlights of the Proposed Acquisition

Radioisotopes can enhance the economics of nuclear fuel recycling and accelerate fuel availability for Oklo’s powerhouses through the sales of high-value radioisotopes. This proposed acquisition diversifies Oklo’s business and market reach into new sectors such as biotech, pharmaceuticals, space, defense, and semiconductors.

Oklo and Atomic Alchemy intend to develop specialized radioisotope production capabilities with Oklo’s fast reactor technologies and Atomic Alchemy’s versatile irradiation reactor technologies to address urgent supply shortages in life-saving medical radioisotopes and advanced industrial applications.

Oklo expects to begin generating revenue from radioisotope production following the proposed acquisition, with initial revenues anticipated prior to completing the first radioisotope production reactors. This potential additional revenue stream is expected to diversify Oklo’s income sources.

Radioisotopes are essential for applications across healthcare, energy, industry, and technology and are expected to represent a $55.7 billion market opportunity by 2026, according to Research Nester, with demand expected to increase significantly over the next decade.

According to the British Institute of Radiology, as the need for radioisotopes continues to rise, supply has struggled to keep pace due to aging reactor infrastructure and a fragmented global supply chain, which at present is dominated by Russia. Oklo aims to address this gap through reliable, U.S.-based radioisotope production facilities that leverage its core clean energy and fuel recycling technologies.

& & &

Oklo Sets Plans to Power Data Centers with 750 MW

Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO) has received Letters of Intent (LOIs) and is partnering with two major data center providers to deliver up to 750 MWe of low carbon power for data centers across the U.S.

Under these LOIs, Oklo will work to deploy its powerhouses in select markets, addressing the provider’s critical need for sustainable, reliable power. This collaboration supports Oklo’s expanding footprint, including its announced sites, with letters of intent, in Idaho, Ohio, Texas, and Wyoming, reinforcing the company’s commitment to advancing clean, resilient power options nationwide.

Oklo’s Aurora powerhouse design provides power directly on-site or nearby, with flexible 15 MW and 50 MW units that can be deployed in phases. This approach aims to minimize project risks, reduce financing costs, and deliver efficient, resilient energy to meet the evolving needs of industrial and commercial clients.

Oklo did not name the customers nor the sites of the planned data centers nor a timeline for delivering its nuclear reactors to power them. The value of the deals won’t be determined until terms sheets are signed with data center customers.

Oklo is currently offering an advanced microreactor with power ratings that start at 15 MWe. The company claims that the design can scale to 50 MWe. A contract to deliver 750 MWe of power would require 15 of the 50 MWe units. Assuming Oklo completes its licensing trajectory with the NRC for its 50 MW design by 2028, the buildout of a fleet of 15 of the 50 MWe units would extend into the mid-2030s. The good news for customers is that Oklo’s business model to build and operate the reactors to provide power for customers comes with a 20-year operating cycle between fuel outages. Also, the real money for Oklo is in operating the reactors it will build to power data center customers and selling them the power.

This timeframe is too far in the future to support a reliable cost estimate. However, taking the hypothetical case of $5,000/kw or $5 million/MW, a single unit 50 MW unit would cost $250 million and a fleet of 15 of them would cost $3.75 billion. Given the firm’s growing list of expected orders for the reactor, building a factory to produce them to achieve economies of scale would seem to be a prudent course of action.

“The strong customer response reflects confidence in Oklo’s clean, reliable, and affordable power solutions,” said Jacob DeWitte, Co-Founder and CEO of Oklo.

“Our approach helps enable customers to scale sustainably with reliable power aligned to their long-term goals.” By building, owning, and operating each powerhouse, Oklo makes it easier for customers to adopt nuclear power generation while creating a steady revenue stream for Oklo by selling power, not power plants.

Oklo’s deployment model helps industries reduce reliance on traditional grids, preserving grid stability and potentially avoiding additional costs to local ratepayers. With a growing order book, we believe Oklo is positioned to transform critical infrastructure and support sustainable growth.

& & &

Radiant Marks Milestone in Development of Its Kaleidos Microreactor Experiment

Radiant Industries has completed the front-end engineering and experiment design (FEEED) phase to test a prototype of its Kaleidos microreactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The Kaleidos microreactor is one of the designs on track to potentially test at the lab in the world’s first microreactor test bed as early as mid-2026.

The Kaleidos micro-reactor is a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) using TRISO fuel, helium gas coolant, and prismatic graphite blocks. Each micro-reactor will be fully contained in a single shipping container.

radiant micro reactor

The FEEED process supports developers in designing and planning for the fabrication, construction, and potential testing of fueled reactor experiments at the DOME microreactor test bed.

Radiant was competitively selected last year to complete the FEEED process, which includes developing a detailed schedule, budget, design, and test plan for the experiment, as well as a detailed preliminary safety report on its design to ensure safe operations during testing. Radiant received $3.9 million in funding from DOE/INL to complete the project.

“Completing the FEEED phase is a major milestone leading to Radiant’s fueled reactor test at INL’s DOME facility,” said Tori Shivanandan, Radiant’s Chief Operating Officer.

“Radiant was added to the lab’s qualified supplier list, completed numerous design reviews, and submitted our Conceptual Safety Design Report, all while staying on-time and under-budget. We are excited to continue partnering with the lab going forward.”

Radiant will continue to work with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) to complete the design and planning for the Kaleidos experiment. The company plans to also start securing long-lead procurement items in preparation for potential installation at DOME.

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is designed to produce 1.2 MW of electricity. The Kaleidos microreactor is expected to support broad applications ranging from replacing diesel generators in remote areas, to providing backup power to hospitals, military installations, and data centers.

After delivery, Kaleidos can be installed overnight with no heavy infrastructure and lasts 20 years. The core is refueled back at a Radiant factory every 5 years. The fleet is autonomously operated by a fault-tolerant control system with 24/7 remote monitoring by trained staff, adding fleet-level intelligence and modernizing safety through data science.

& & &

Radiant Secures $100 Million in Series C Funding

Radiant Industries, Incorporated, a leader in advanced nuclear technology, announced a $100 million Series C funding round led by DCVC, a tech venture capital firm. The round included participation from a16z’s American Dynamism team, which led the Series B, and Union Square Ventures.

The firm welcomed new investors Felicis, Washington Harbour Partners LP, and Chevron Technology Ventures. Additional participation in this funding round came from Founders Fund, Decisive Point, McKinley Alaska, Boost VC, and Also Capital. This investment brings the company’s total venture funding to $160 million.

The funding will primarily be used to complete Radiant’s Kaleidos Development Unit, the same reactor design that will be manufactured and sold to customers. At INL, the unit will undergo a comprehensive testing program including evaluations of the reactor’s failsafe mechanisms and proprietary semi-automated control system, providing validation cases for regulatory analyses.

The new investor funding will also be used for factory siting and early construction efforts, breaking ground on the facilities that are expected to produce up to 50 microreactors per year. The El Segundo, Calif.-based company is evaluating two sites for a planned factory.

The funding round marks an important step towards Radiant’s goal of bringing one of the world’s first factory-constructed microreactors to market. Radiant has advanced through the U.S. Department of Energy’s microreactor experiment design process and plans to deliver the Kaleidos Development Unit prototype microreactor to Idaho National Laboratory’s (INL) DOME facility for testing in 2026, ushering in a new era for the advanced nuclear industry.

Radiant’s Kaleidos microreactor is a 1MW nuclear power plant in a box that replaces diesel generators, providing power for military installations, remote industry, data centers, EV charging, and more. It can be shipped by land, sea or air and installed in a matter of days. By providing reliable, portable, and environmentally friendly nuclear power, Kaleidos represents a major step forward for global energy production.

“Our major safety test is complete and nuclear materials are on order for fueled test readiness in 2026,” said Doug Bernauer, CEO and co-founder of Radiant.

“We now have the staff, hardware, and runway to deliver at the DOME, and with production commitments of more than 10 reactors through 2030, we need to move as quickly as possible. Radiant’s success over the next two years will not only benefit our customers but will be a win for advanced reactor developers and the industry as a whole. New nuclear is around the corner, and it’s arriving on a semi-truck.”

“Radiant is developing a product that brings clean, reliable, affordable energy to locations that couldn’t access it otherwise,” said Rachel Slaybaugh, partner at DCVC and Radiant board member.

In an interview with Axios, Slaybaugh said the firm hasn’t yet completed licensing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission but expects its demonstration reactor will help accelerate the process.

“We expect commercial deployment in 2028,” says, which would make Radiant Industries potentially the first new small advanced reactor in North America.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is currently engaged in pre-application activities with Radiant Industries, Inc. (Radiant), starting in October 2022.

& & &

Clean Core Hits Fuel Burnup Milestone with its Thorium Fuel at INL

thorium fuel reactor Clean Core Thorium Energy (Clean Core) announced that its patented ANEEL fuel (Advanced Nuclear Energy for Enriched Life) has reached a burnup milestone in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).

This achievement represents a major leap forward in nuclear fuel technology, showcasing the potential of ANEEL fuel, a unique blend of thorium and high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU), to provide safer, more efficient, and sustainable fuel for pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) and Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactors.

Twelve ANEEL fuel rodlets were tested under high neutron flux accelerated burnup conditions, achieving burnup levels 3.5 to 4 times higher than those of traditional natural uranium. Four rodlets will now undergo post-irradiation examination, while the remaining eight will continue accelerated irradiation to over 60 gigawatt-days per metric ton burnup.

The successful irradiation to over 20 GWd/MTU — more than 3.5 times the capacity of current PHWR/CANDU fuels — bodes well for ANEEL fuel’s durability and performance under extreme conditions. Initial inspections are expected to reveal that the fuel pellets remain fully intact, highlighting the superior thermo-physical properties of thorium.

Key Highlights of the Test

First-of-its-kind irradiation in a unique reactor: ANEEL fuel rodlets were irradiated in the ATR, renowned for its ability to replicate extreme reactor conditions for fuel qualification.

Achievement of over 20 GWd/MTU burnup: The rodlets reached a burnup of over 20 GWd/MTU, proving ANEEL™ fuel’s ability to sustain higher energy production for longer durations.

Enhanced safety and efficiency: ANEEL fuel combines thorium’s safety features with HALEU’s high energy density, promising greater reactor safety and efficiency. It also requires no modifications to the existing CANDU fuel geometry or dimensions, enabling rapid deployment.

The successful irradiation of the first batch of ANEEL fuel rodlets marks a critical step in the commercialization of this fuel. The rodlets will now undergo post-irradiation analysis at INL’s Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC). Data from this test will help bring ANEEL fuel closer to deployment in commercial PHWR/CANDU reactors worldwide.

Mehul Shah, Founder and CEO of Clean Core Thorium Energy, said “Reaching this milestone is a monumental achievement for Clean Core and the future of nuclear energy in realizing potential of thorium. ANEEL™ fuel has the potential to revolutionize the nuclear industry by providing a safer, more sustainable fuel that aligns with the global push for clean energy. This accomplishment at INL is a major validation of our technology and our mission to help meet the world’s growing energy needs.”

Dr. Koroush Shirvan, Clean Core’s Head of Fuel Design and Faculty of Nuclear Science and Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said “The speed at which Clean Core has transitioned from the conceptual design of their innovative fuel to actual irradiation is truly remarkable. Incorporating thorium is the most practical method to enhance the burnup of CANDU/PHWR reactors, leading to a proportional reduction in the volume of generated spent fuel and the frequency of online refueling activities.”

# # #

Diablo Canyon Manages Nuclear Reactor Paperwork with AI