Westinghouse Electric and Google Cloud are using AI tools to transform the construction of nuclear reactors into an efficient, repeatable process and to enhance the operations of existing nuclear power plants using data-driven insights.

Together, the two companies will pair Westinghouse’s Hive and Bertha nuclear AI offerings with Google Cloud technologies and expertise to streamline construction of nuclear plants. AI tools will also improve the current nuclear fleet with data-driven AI insights.

“As the only fully licensed, construction-ready modular reactor available today, our AP1000 technology is the quickest way to add new sources of affordable and abundant nuclear energy to the US grid,” said Dan Sumner, Westinghouse interim CEO. “By partnering with Google Cloud to enhance our Hive and Bertha technology, and backed by 75 years of our proprietary nuclear data, we can accelerate the deployment of new AP1000 units, while implementing powerful AI technologies that will optimise the construction and operations of nuclear power plants.”

Kyle Jessen, managing director for commercial industries at Google Cloud (cloud.google.com), added: “This partnership with Westinghouse combines Google Cloud’s AI technologies and expertise with Westinghouse’s century-long expertise in nuclear innovation to chart a new path towards a smarter and safer future. Artificial intelligence is not merely a tool, it also can give companies a critical competitive advantage. Westinghouse is demonstrating what’s possible.”

As part of this collaboration, Westinghouse and Google Cloud have successfully achieved a first-of-a-kind proof-of-concept leveraging Westinghouse Nexus digital plant design platform and Hive AI enhanced by Google Cloud technologies, including Vertex AI, Gemini and BigQuery, to generate and optimise AP1000 modular construction work packages autonomously.

In September last year, Westinghouse introduced Hive and Bertha, which are built from more than 75 years of proprietary data, knowledge and expertise. These nuclear-specific AI offerings are supported by dedicated nuclear engineers, and will optimise new nuclear deployment of the AP1000 reactor, AP300 small modular reactors and eVinci microreactor technologies. Westinghouse’s AI is ready to support power plants operations by helping deliver reliable and cost-effective electricity to homes and businesses.

Westinghouse Electric (www.westinghousenuclear.com) supplied the world’s first commercial pressurised water reactor in 1957 and the company’s technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world’s operating nuclear plants.