NuScale Power Corporation announced a partnership with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) to develop an AI‑enabled nuclear design framework for its 12‑module SMR configuration. The announcement was made on February 12, 2026, and the collaboration aims to optimize fuel usage across multiple reactors at a single site, potentially reducing fuel costs and improving overall plant efficiency.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Gateway for Accelerated Innovation in Nuclear (GAIN) initiative provided funding to ORNL for this research. GAIN is part of the first round of vouchers awarded in fiscal year 2026, offering technical, regulatory, and financial support to advance nuclear technology toward commercialization.
The partnership will employ machine‑learning techniques to model fuel performance and optimize loading patterns across the 12‑module configuration. ORNL brings extensive experience in used‑fuel management, advanced fuel cycles, and AI research, positioning it as a valuable partner for NuScale’s fuel‑management objectives.
This collaboration is a strategic step to enhance fuel efficiency and cost competitiveness of NuScale’s SMR technology. By sharing fuel across modules, the company could achieve significant cost savings, improving the economics of its scalable design. The partnership also signals NuScale’s commitment to integrating cutting‑edge computational science into its reactor designs, potentially accelerating commercialization.
John Hopkins, NuScale’s president and chief executive officer, said, “We are thrilled to be collaborating with ORNL, with the support of the DOE, to assess exciting new opportunities for potentially managing fuel even more efficiently across multiple nuclear reactors and further reducing costs going forward.” He added, “With the tremendous focus on growing energy consumption in the U.S. and around the world, NuScale is committed to bringing clean, reliable energy to our customers, and this strategic partnership with ORNL will use cutting‑edge computational science to create even more energy efficient fuel management solutions for our multi‑module plants.”
The market reacted positively to the announcement, reflecting investor confidence in the potential cost savings and technological advancement.
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