If there is any place that would be off-limits to AI, the control room of a nuclear power plant certainly sounds like one. The nuclear industry is historically cautious and risk averse—understandable given the possible catastrophic consequences of an accident or a mistake. Even well-trained managers struggle with the operational complexity of a nuclear reactor. It’s not the kind of setting that seems well suited to a powerful but error-prone new technology.

Reality tells a startlingly different story. A variety of companies have begun to offer AI solutions for nuclear power. This year, nearly the entire fleet of 94 U.S. nuclear reactors has been offered the chance to integrate AI into its operations, and most have taken it.

In August, California-based Atomic Canyon launched NIVA, the Nuclear Industry Virtual Assistant, which was developed in cooperation with nuclear industry groups. The assistant was pilot tested in nuclear plants run by Constellation Energy and is now available to the United States’ entire fleet of reactors. (Constellation declined to be interviewed for this story.) Meanwhile, the AI-for-nuclear startup Nuclearn says its products have gone to work with more than 65 U.S. partners, a total that includes many traditionals plants but also an integration with NuScale Power Corporation that is working toward advanced small nuclear reactors. Microsoft and Nvidia have collaborated on a project to apply AI toward optimizing “the entire lifecycle of a nuclear plant, spanning site permitting, design, construction, and continuous operations.”

The reason for the rapid adoption, according to Nuclearn CFO and cofounder Jerrold Vincent , is twofold.

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