fazTimes media: In a big and never-before-seen teamwork, Google Cloud and Westinghouse Electric Company are working together to use the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in the complicated area of building nuclear reactors. Their main goal is to make constructing nuclear reactors quicker, safer, and cheaper—and with that, help speed up the worldwide move toward clean and dependable energy. This high-tech team brings together Westinghouse's long history of nuclear knowledge—over 100 years—with Google Cloud's top AI tools like Vertex AI, Gemini, and BigQuery, creating what experts are calling a new time in “digital nuclear energy.”

“This is where advanced AI meets nuclear innovation,” said Kyle Jessen, Managing Director of Commercial Industries at Google Cloud. “Westinghouse is showing that artificial intelligence isn’t just a tool—it’s a big advantage.”

Reimagining Reactor Construction

At the center of this partnership is the goal to make building Westinghouse’s AP1000® modular nuclear reactors faster and more efficient—these are the only fully approved and ready-to-build reactors of their type available today. Building a nuclear power plant used to take a long time, cost a lot, and involve a lot of manual work, often taking over ten years.

But with tools like Westinghouse’s HiVE™ and Bertha™, which use AI, this process could become much quicker.

“By improving our own HiVE and Bertha technologies with Google Cloud’s powerful AI models, we are changing how fast and smoothly we can start up new reactors,” said Dan Sumner, Westinghouse’s Interim CEO.

These systems, built using more than 75 years of secret nuclear data, can now automatically create and fine-tune construction plans—a major change in an industry where accuracy and safety are very important.

Proof is in the prototype.

In a recent proof of concept, two companies showed how AI can improve construction work. They utilized Westinghouse's WNEXUS digital plant design platform, integrating HiVE and Google Cloud's AI tools. This setup allowed engineers to automate and improve the planning of work packages for the AP1000 reactor.

The outcome?

An AI-powered method completed a process that previously required weeks of human effort and teamwork in just a few hours. “This isn’t about replacing engineers,” said Sumner. “It’s about giving them AI tools to make smarter, quicker decisions and reduce mistakes a lot.” According to Al Jazeera, this successful test has set the stage for full AI use in building and maintaining Westinghouse reactors.

This includes not just the AP1000 but also the AP300™ small modular reactors (SMRs) and the eVinci® microreactors, which are designed to power remote and off-grid areas.

What are HiVE and Bertha?

Many AI tools are made for general use, but HiVE™ and Bertha™ are special tools made for nuclear work. They were trained using a lot of technical papers, engineering drawings, operational information, and rules that had been collected over many years.

HiVE was first shown in late 2024. It's an AI system that makes custom outputs for engineering jobs. You can use simple words to ask for things like work plans, ways to check equipment, and risk checks.
Bertha is named after a famous engineer, Bertha Lamme. It's a type of AI model made just for the nuclear field. It helps engineers with tasks like planning maintenance, following rules, and keeping digital records.

Together, HiVE and Bertha are excellent tools for any nuclear site. They give real-time help with decisions, which makes things safer and more efficient.

Google Cloud provides the strong computing power needed for this AI change. It offers tools like

Vertex AI—a platform for building, training, and deploying machine learning models on a large scale.
Gemini—Google's top generative AI model, which understands context very well.
BigQuery—a data warehouse that handles huge amounts of data quickly.

Using these tools, Westinghouse can analyze nuclear data instantly. This helps AI models spot issues, predict when equipment needs fixing, and suggest ways to improve performance, not just during construction, but also while reactors are running.

Why Nuclear, and Why Now?

As reported by BBC News, nuclear power is getting attention again as countries try to reach their net-zero climate targets without facing energy problems. Unlike solar and wind, nuclear energy provides a steady and reliable supply of clean electricity, no matter the weather.

However, public concerns and strict rules have made it hard to move forward for a long time. Now, AI could help make nuclear energy more affordable, quicker to build, and easier to operate. This would tackle one of the biggest issues in the industry: costs going over budget and projects taking too long.

Dr. Rebecca Chen, an energy policy expert, said, “We need clean energy—and we needed it yesterday. AI can make nuclear not just possible again but competitive.”

What This Means for India and Other Emerging Markets

For India, where energy needs are expected to double by 2040, this partnership between AI and nuclear technology brings new opportunities. While India is still working on its reactor technologies, using AI-driven modular building tools could greatly lower costs and speed up the process of setting up reactors.

Experts believe this model could be very helpful in rural areas or places with high energy demand, where the need for energy is growing quickly, but there is not enough land or resources available. “AI-powered microreactors could provide clean, reliable electricity to remote areas like Northeast India, Ladakh, or the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,” said Prof.

Ramesh Kulkarni, a nuclear engineering teacher in Mumbai. Experts suggest that India’s involvement in nuclear technology collaborations—maybe through sharing knowledge or working together on AI—could be the next important step.

The Bigger Picture: Digital Transformation of Energy

This partnership between Google and Westinghouse shows a bigger change happening: traditional industries are becoming more digital. Just like AI is changing healthcare, finance, and manufacturing, it's now starting to change how we make and control energy.

Some people might worry about AI being used in important systems, like energy, but industry leaders think that if AI is used carefully, with rules and human guidance, it can be managed well. “We are not giving control to robots,” said Sumner. “We are giving our engineers better tools.”

Final Word: A Smarter Future Is Possible

With climate goals getting closer and energy systems facing more pressure, the team-up between Google Cloud and Westinghouse shows a bright path ahead. This path leads to a future where nuclear energy is more efficient, quicker, and better for the environment. It’s not just about atoms anymore—it’s also about using smart technology and algorithms to make things work better.

As nations search for a way to balance being eco-friendly, keeping costs down, and having dependable energy, AI-powered nuclear plants could be the key to solving the world’s energy challenges.

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