The nuclear industry has always been at the forefront of technological evolution. At the NRC Regulatory Information Conference (RIC) last week, Phil Zeringue, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Nuclearn, delivered a compelling talk advocating for speed and efficiency in nuclear energy adoption—particularly through AI integration. His message was clear: AI is not a future innovation; it is an urgent necessity.
As a second-generation nuclear professional, Phil understands the industry’s cyclical nature—times of promise followed by stagnation. However, he believes this moment is different. With AI driving demand and efficiency simultaneously, the industry is at an inflection point where accelerating AI adoption is not just beneficial, but critical for survival.
Chaos in the Industry: The Need for Unified Action
Phil painted a vivid picture of the current challenges in nuclear operations, calling the landscape “absolute chaos.”
- Legal battles, IT ownership conflicts, and data management issues have slowed progress.
- Organizations are reinventing the wheel instead of collaborating on best practices.
- Every nuclear plant, fuel manufacturer, and service provider should already be using AI—but the industry is unprepared for its full potential.
Using a powerful analogy, Phil compared AI’s rapid advancement to a hypothetical breakthrough in gravitational manipulation replacing cranes overnight. If an industry suddenly eradicated forklifts, warehouses would struggle to adapt. Similarly, AI is disrupting every facet of nuclear operations, yet many in the industry hesitate to embrace it.
The key question: Who owns AI adoption in nuclear? Is it IT, Engineering, Security, or an entirely new department? The lack of ownership is stalling progress.
The Financial Impact: Billions in Potential Savings
One of Phil’s most eye-opening points was the financial case for AI adoption.
- Every reactor stands to save between $25M – $150M per year in labor costs.
- Across the U.S. nuclear fleet, this equates to $4 billion in annual savings—enough to fund the construction of a new 1,200 MW plant every year.
- AI isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about creating a more financially sustainable future for the nuclear industry.
Additionally, AI-driven efficiency can make new builds faster and more affordable. If AI is fully leveraged in construction, a 1,200 MW plant could be built for $4 billion—far below current estimates.
An Industry in Need of a New Model: Parallel AI Development
Phil stressed that nuclear cannot afford a slow, sequential adoption process. Instead, he called for a practitioner-led approach where AI implementation happens simultaneously across all utilities, vendors, and service providers.
Key recommendations from his talk:
- Create AI working groups—not the traditional slow-moving committees, but action-driven, cross-sector teams.
- Break down silos—utilities must share AI use cases rather than working in isolation.
- Leverage vendors and suppliers—AI integration needs active collaboration from SMRs, fuel manufacturers, and service providers.
- Focus on practical implementation—where does AI fit in IT service catalogs, procurement, outage planning, and training?
- Measure ROI with clear KPIs—how does AI impact cost savings, efficiency, and regulatory compliance?
These strategies ensure AI deployment is fast, coordinated, and scalable. The alternative? Fragmented efforts, wasted investments, and a nuclear industry that falls behind.
Building the Future: The Role of AI in Workforce Transformation
One of the most compelling moments in Phil’s speech was his call to challenge industry norms:
- How can AI speed up contractor badging during outages?
- How can AI streamline equivalency approvals for unavailable parts?
- How can AI reduce training time from 18 months to 9 months?
These are not theoretical questions. AI solutions already exist—but the industry must adapt, test, and scale them aggressively.
Moreover, Phil emphasized vendor involvement. AI isn’t just for utilities; vendors must actively push the industry forward, much like personal trainers pushing clients to go to the gym now rather than waiting for New Year’s resolutions.
A Call to Action: Speed is Everything
Phil ended his speech with a clear directive:
- AI is moving faster than nuclear’s traditional regulatory cycles.
- New AI applications will emerge before the next major industry meeting in September.
- If nuclear doesn’t move now, we risk losing the competitive edge to industries that embrace AI at full speed.
His message was not just about innovation—it was about survival. Nuclear’s future depends on speed, efficiency, and collaboration. AI is the key to unlocking billions in savings, securing a sustainable workforce, and accelerating new plant development.
It’s time to stop waiting. The industry must move forward, together, now.
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