PG&E Launches First Commercial Deployment of On-Site Generative AI Solution for the Nuclear Energy Sector at Diablo Canyon

Atomic Canyon's 'Neutron Enterprise' AI solution aims to revolutionize PG&E's approach to managing vast datasets associated with the operation of Diablo Canyon Power Plant

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. and SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is deploying Atomic Canyon's artificial intelligence-powered solutions for the nuclear energy sector at PG&E's Diablo Canyon Power Plant. This marks the inaugural commercial installation of the first on-site generative AI deployment at a U.S. nuclear power plant.

Atomic Canyon's Neutron Enterprise generative AI solution, built and running on NVIDIA's full-stack AI platform, is being deployed at Diablo Canyon to transform document search and retrieval, and deliver significant cost savings and improved operational efficiency. The Neutron Enterprise offering sets a new standard for information access and analysis in the nuclear energy sector.

As California's only remaining nuclear power plant, Diablo Canyon provides nearly 9% of the state's electricity and generates 17% of its zero-carbon energy. With the California Energy Commission estimating that power demand across the state will rise roughly 43% in the next 15 years, Diablo Canyon will only become a more critical clean, reliable energy asset.

Demand for nuclear power is growing worldwide, driven in part by the growth of data centers and the electrification of industry and transportation. However, efficiency and innovation are key for maintaining compliance in a rigorous regulatory environment and achieving the levels of productivity needed to ensure the industry's growth.

Federal and state regulations require utilities that operate nuclear power plants to manage billions of pages of technical documentation, which are spread across multiple systems. Power plant personnel must spend both time and resources to retrieve this essential data accurately and reliably.

Having access to Atomic Canyon's pioneering Neutron Enterprise solution means Diablo Canyon will revolutionize its approach to managing these vast datasets. Neutron Enterprise will integrate seamlessly with Diablo Canyon's systems, using the latest optical character recognition (OCR), retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and AI-powered search technology to cut search times from hours to seconds. Teams will be able to access critical information faster and more reliably, allowing them to focus on high-value tasks and decision-making.

Maureen Zawalick, Vice President of Business and Technical Services at Diablo Canyon Power Plant, says, "As the first nuclear power plant to implement Neutron Enterprise using the NVIDIA platform, we're proud to lead the way in bringing cutting-edge innovation to our operations. Atomic Canyon's AI solutions will enable faster data retrieval, boosting collaboration and ensuring continued safe, but more efficient operations. Accessing critical information in seconds will let us focus on what truly matters—delivering reliable clean energy safely and affordably."

The Neutron Enterprise solution is powered by Atomic Canyon's FERMI family of AI models, developed in collaboration with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and specifically designed for the nuclear energy sector. With FERMI's domain expertise, Neutron Enterprise leverages cutting-edge generative AI and RAG to revolutionize how nuclear facilities access, draft, and collaborate on critical documentation.

Trey Lauderdale, Founder and CEO of Atomic Canyon, says, "The commercial launch of 'Neutron Enterprise' at Diablo Canyon marks a pivotal moment for the nuclear energy sector. With skyrocketing energy demands and increased support from tech leaders, we are witnessing the growing excitement and need for nuclear energy in real time. This is the future of nuclear plant operations, and we're just scratching the surface."

This deployment uses NVIDIA's full-stack AI computing platform, including NVIDIA AI Enterprise software, NVIDIA Triton Inference Server software and NVIDIA Hopper architecture GPUs, which accelerate Atomic's Neutron Enterprise solution. With billions of data points to process across multiple repositories in structured and unstructured formats, the nuclear industry can tap into NVIDIA AI and accelerated computing for more efficient workflows.

Marc Spieler, Senior Managing Director of the Global Energy Industry at NVIDIA, says: "AI is unlocking new possibilities in highly regulated industries like nuclear energy. PG&E's deployment of the Atomic Canyon solution, built with NVIDIA technologies, showcases how AI can contribute to increased operational efficiency by enabling utilities to focus on delivering critical services safely and effectively."

Media can access videos, still photos and news releases from the PG&E 2024 Innovation Summit here: 2024 PG&E Innovation Summit - Multimedia Access Link

About Atomic Canyon:
Atomic Canyon is a California-based company pioneering artificial intelligence specialized for the nuclear energy sector. Co-founded by Trey Lauderdale and Kristian Kielhofner in 2023, the company develops safe and accurate AI-powered solutions to nuclear energy challenges, partnering with nuclear power plants, manufacturers of next-generation reactors, and government and national laboratories. For more information visit https://atomic-canyon.com/solutions or https://atomic-canyon.com/news

About PG&E: 
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.

SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company