NuScale Power To Partner With Oak Ridge National Laboratory To Utilize AI-Enabled Nuclear Design Framework For 12-Nuscale Power Module Configuration

The collaboration will utilize an artificial intelligence-enabled nuclear design framework to strategically explore and optimize fuel management across multiple reactors at a single site

NuScale Power Corporation (NYSE:SMR) announced today that it will partner with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to utilize an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled nuclear design framework for a 12-NuScale Power Module™ (NPM) configuration to strategically explore how fuel could be even more efficiently and effectively managed across multiple reactors at a single site.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative awarded funding to ORNL to collaborate with NuScale in this innovative research program. The GAIN initiative is housed within the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy. GAIN provides technical, regulatory, and financial support needed to advance nuclear technology towards commercialization. This is part of the first round of GAIN Vouchers awarded in fiscal year 2026.

Methods for optimizing the management of nuclear fuel for a single reactor are well-known. As part of this study, NuScale will partner with ORNL to use the power of AI to explore potential options for reducing fuel costs across multiple reactors. NuScale uses proven, off-the-shelf fuel assemblies, and unlike large reactors, NuScale's multi-module architecture offers a unique opportunity to enhance fuel efficiency in up to 12 reactors with a single shared fuel pool and a significant number of fuel options. By sharing fuel across modules, NuScale may find ways to improve overall plant fuel efficiencies beyond what can be normally achieved in a single reactor plant, ultimately reducing costs. ORNL will share their expertise in AI, machine learning, fuel management, and computational resources to help drive this important research.