Diablo Canyon nuclear plant adopts AI to streamline data management
California’s only remaining nuclear power plant, provides nearly 9% of the state’s electricity
– Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is implementing a new artificial intelligence solution for the nuclear energy sector at its Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This marks the first commercial deployment of on-site generative AI at a U.S. nuclear facility.
The Neutron Enterprise generative AI solution, developed by Atomic Canyon and powered by NVIDIA’s full-stack AI platform, will be used at Diablo Canyon to improve document search and retrieval. The solution is expected to deliver significant cost savings and enhance operational efficiency by reducing search times from hours to seconds, according to a press release from PG&E.
Diablo Canyon, California’s only remaining nuclear power plant, provides nearly 9% of the state’s electricity and generates 17% of its zero-carbon energy. As power demand in the state is expected to increase by roughly 43% over the next 15 years, Diablo Canyon is set to become an even more critical energy asset.
Federal and state regulations require utilities that operate nuclear plants to manage billions of pages of technical documentation across multiple systems. Retrieving this data is often time-consuming and resource-intensive.
With the integration of Neutron Enterprise, Diablo Canyon will streamline its data management processes. The system uses optical character recognition (OCR), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and AI-powered search technology to improve access to critical information, allowing teams to focus on higher-value tasks and decision-making.
Maureen Zawalick, vice president of business and technical services at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, said, “As the first nuclear power plant to implement Neutron Enterprise using the NVIDIA platform, we’re proud to lead the way in bringing cutting-edge innovation to our operations. Atomic Canyon’s AI solutions will enable faster data retrieval, boosting collaboration and ensuring continued safe, but more efficient operations. Accessing critical information in seconds will let us focus on what truly matters—delivering reliable clean energy safely and affordably.”
Neutron Enterprise is powered by Atomic Canyon’s FERMI family of AI models, developed in partnership with the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The models are designed specifically for the nuclear energy sector, leveraging advanced AI technology to improve documentation processes at nuclear facilities.
“The commercial launch of Neutron Enterprise at Diablo Canyon marks a pivotal moment for the nuclear energy sector,” Trey Lauderdale, founder, and CEO of Atomic Canyon, said, “With skyrocketing energy demands and increased support from tech leaders, we are witnessing the growing excitement and need for nuclear energy in real time. This is the future of nuclear plant operations, and we’re just scratching the surface.”
This deployment also utilizes NVIDIA’s AI computing platform, including software and GPUs, to accelerate Neutron Enterprise. With vast amounts of data across both structured and unstructured formats, the nuclear industry is turning to AI and accelerated computing to improve workflow efficiency.
“AI is unlocking new possibilities in highly regulated industries like nuclear energy,” Marc Spieler, senior managing director of the global energy industry at NVIDIA, said, “PG&E’s deployment of the Atomic Canyon solution, built with NVIDIA technologies, showcases how AI can contribute to increased operational efficiency by enabling utilities to focus on delivering critical services safely and effectively.”
