DOE launches Project Prometheus to apply AI to nuclear reactors

The U.S. Department of Energy has launched Project Prometheus, a three-year, $60 million program led by Idaho National Laboratory to apply artificial intelligence across the nuclear reactor lifecycle, from design and licensing to construction and operation.

Project Prometheus is a phase-two award under the DOE’s Genesis Mission, which selected 278 projects to access frontier AI models and high-performance computing at national laboratories. The DOE describes the Genesis Mission’s goal as doubling the productivity and impact of American science and engineering within a decade by creating repeatable AI-enabled research workflows that move ideas from modeling to experimentation faster.

Idaho National Laboratory will lead a 32-partner team on Prometheus. INL reported the project has secured more than $200 million in industry cost share and $30 million in industry capital in addition to the $60 million DOE award. Participating organizations include reactor developers and suppliers such as Oklo, GE Vernova and Westinghouse, and technology companies including Microsoft and Amazon.

Planned tasks cover multiple stages of a reactor program. Partners will use AI in design, licensing, manufacturing, construction and operations with human-in-the-loop workflows; integrate AI into nuclear fuel fabrication; and apply AI for management of legacy nuclear documents.

Prometheus aims to create a persistent digital record linking regulations, models, specifications and operating information so analyses do not have to be recreated when a reactor moves between development stages. Project partners will develop and demonstrate AI-enabled workflows and tools intended to shorten development timelines and improve information continuity across reactor projects.

The Genesis platform will provide compute resources and adaptable AI models to industry, academia and national labs. The DOE intends the platform to support teams working on energy systems, discovery science and national security by making federal computing and laboratory infrastructure more accessible.

The VettaFi Nuclear Renaissance Index (NUKZX), which underlies the Range Nuclear Renaissance Index ETF (NUKZ), includes several companies involved in Genesis and Prometheus, offering investors a way to gain exposure to firms active in advanced reactors, fuel supply and nuclear services.