Brown Contributes to DOE Genesis Mission
This summer, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced the new Genesis Mission—a $5 billion program to create a nationwide ecosystem of AI tools and services that will help American researchers address pressing energy, scientific, and engineering challenges. The DOE awarded Phase I support to 277 projects across the nation, giving them a chance to apply for Phase II funding if they achieve promising results over the next nine months.
Just one project was granted immediate Phase II funding: Prometheus, an AI platform designed to cut nuclear reactor deployment timelines and operating costs in half.
“Nuclear energy is one of our most important sources of baseload electricity, providing 20% of our power (nationally),” said Department of Nuclear Engineering (NE) Professor Nick Brown, a co-PI on the project. “However, deployment of new reactors has slowed significantly since the 1970s, while many existing reactors are approaching retirement.”
Spearheaded by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Prometheus unites DOE national laboratories, universities, and commercial partners to develop AI tools that will accelerate the deployment of reactors and related facilities across the nuclear fuel cycle. The project has significant support from across the industry, including leading advanced reactor companies such as TerraPower, Oklo, and X-energy.
Brown is a nationally recognized expert on nuclear fuel safety and advanced reactor design with established collaborations at several national laboratories. In fact, five of Brown’s former group members are current staff researchers at INL and a sixth is expected to join soon.
Vladimir Sobes
Xingang Zhao
NE Associate Professor Vlad Sobes and Assistant Professor Xingang Zhao are also bringing their expertise to the project, maintaining the University of Tennessee’s position as a leader in nuclear technology and development.
“The capabilities of agentic workflows have advanced incredibly over the last several years, enabling systematic increases in productivity,” Brown said. “We are excited to be on the cutting edge of the application of these workflows to advanced nuclear reactors.”
Ensuring Future Reactor Safety
Maintaining safety and regulatory compliance is a core pillar of the Prometheus mission. Brown’s group has a well-established research partnership with INL—especially in the areas of advanced reactor and nuclear fuel safety—so he was a natural choice to help lead the project.
Over the next three years, Brown, Sobes, and Zhao will develop AI-based tools to evaluate how the nuclear fuel in new advanced reactor designs will behave under transient and accident conditions.
Sobes, an expert in applying AI to problems in the nuclear data pipeline, will advise Brown’s team on the AI-related aspects of the project. Zhao, whose research focuses on developing integrated AI-based models and simulations to enhance the safety and operational performance of nuclear power plants, will collaborate with Brown on thermal hydraulics and technoeconomic analysis.
“We will be applying Prometheus workflows and developing agents that will enable rapid and comprehensive evaluations of advanced nuclear reactor design and safety,” Brown explained.
The Prometheus team plans to deploy its initial commercial-grade production platform in March 2027, with broader adoption across the industry and the DOE later that year. Overall, the platform is expected to facilitate innovation across the entire nuclear industry.
Contact
Izzie Gall ([email protected])