US Department of Energy Launches $60 Million AI Nuclear Reactor Project with NVIDIA, Microsoft, Aiming to

The US Department of Energy has launched the $60 million Prometheus project to use artificial intelligence to accelerate nearly all stages of nuclear energy deployment, including reactor design, licensing, manufacturing, construction, fuel production, and operations. The three-year program is the first major Phase 2 project selected under the department's Genesis Mission. It is led by Idaho National Laboratory in collaboration with four national laboratories, multiple universities, major technology companies, and over 20 nuclear industry partners. Participants include NVIDIA, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, Oklo, TerraPower, X-energy, GE Vernova, Westinghouse Electric, Aalo Atomics, Antares, Valar Atomics, and Deployable Energy.

The project aims to create a secure digital thread connecting engineering models, regulatory requirements, manufacturing specifications, construction records, and operational data. The Department of Energy expects AI tools to help prepare traceable licensing documents, organize decades of historical nuclear records, accelerate safety analyses, improve manufacturing processes, and support reactor monitoring, while ensuring that final decisions remain under human responsibility. The Prometheus project plans to reduce reactor deployment timelines and long-term operating costs by 50%. The initiative has also attracted over $200 million in industry cost-sharing and $30 million in private capital and technology contributions.

Previously, most attention focused on using nuclear reactors to power AI, such as the agreement between NANO Nuclear and Super Micro Computer, and the proposed partnership between Riot Platforms and Terrestrial Energy. Oklo, NVIDIA, and Los Alamos National Laboratory are also collaborating on AI-driven nuclear fuel research, plutonium-bearing fuel studies, and grid research for AI facilities powered by nuclear energy. These collaborations directly support the broader Genesis Mission.