Speakers:

• James E. Platte, Research Staff (Strategy, Forces, and Resources Division),Institute for Defense Analyses, Alexandria, U.S.A.
• Charles A. Casto, DBA, Senior Executive Service member (Regional Administrator) of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (retired), and founder at Casto Group (management and nuclear technology consulting)

Overview:
Over the past year, several large tech companies have expressed interest in using nuclear reactors to provide the power for their data centers. These data centers are critical for the development and use of artificial intelligence and require large, consistent supplies of electricity. At the same time, artificial intelligence-powered systems are increasingly being developed for use in industrial control systems, including for operating nuclear reactors. This seminar will explore the social, political, and economic implications of using nuclear reactors to power large data centers and using artificial intelligence to operate nuclear reactors.

Nuclear power has long been hampered by social license issues, and public debates on the use of artificial intelligence and siting of data centers is increasing. How safely and efficiently will big tech companies run nuclear reactors, and will the public trust some of the industry’s biggest names to do so? Will the use of artificial intelligence in reactor operations increase public acceptance of either technology, or will it create backlash by combining two mysterious technologies? Enduring political support is essential for nuclear power’s future, but local and national politicians have struggled with balancing the varied interests in these complex systems, often resulting in fickle support in democracies in recent decades. In the end, economics and the power demands of big tech companies likely will decide how deeply and for how long nuclear power entwines with artificial intelligence. Will restarting old reactors be worthwhile, and can big tech companies make the associated costs of developing and deploying new reactors, including small modular reactors, economical?

This seminar will bring together experts on nuclear policy, regulation, and technology to examine these and other questions related to the merging of nuclear power and artificial intelligence. It will feature opening remarks by the panelists and time for discussion with the audience.

Moderator: Kyle Cleveland, ICAS Co-director and Associate Professor of Sociology, Temple University Japan