America’s First Fully Digital Nuclear Reactor Begins Testing AI and Cybersecurity Systems

Image Courtesy: Purdue University

America’s only fully digital nuclear reactor has entered a new phase of operation, with engineers at Purdue University launching experiments to evaluate how artificial intelligence, cybersecurity tools, and other advanced digital technologies perform inside a functioning nuclear reactor.

The experiments will use Purdue University Reactor Number One (PUR-1) as a real-world testing platform for technologies that could make the next generation of nuclear reactors safer, more efficient, and less expensive to operate. Unlike commercial nuclear power plants, PUR-1 does not generate electricity for the grid. Instead, it serves as a research reactor for education, training, and nuclear engineering studies. The facility first made history in 2019 as the first U.S. research reactor licensed with a fully digital safety and control system.

For decades, nuclear facilities have relied on analog instrumentation and control systems. Although these systems have proven dependable, many are becoming increasingly difficult to maintain as aging components are discontinued. PUR-1 provides researchers with a rare opportunity to evaluate modern digital technologies inside a live reactor before they are deployed in commercial nuclear plants.

The new testing program includes AI-assisted reactor monitoring, cybersecurity systems capable of detecting cyberattacks, secure communication networks, digital twins that mirror reactor behavior in real time, and advanced control technologies that could eventually support remote reactor operation.

Researchers say the reactor’s fully digital architecture allows them to evaluate new software under realistic operating conditions instead of relying solely on computer simulations. Purdue describes PUR-1 as the only U.S. reactor currently capable of supporting some of these first-of-their-kind experiments.

The research comes as the United States accelerates development of small modular reactors and microreactors, which are expected to play a growing role in supplying carbon-free electricity to remote communities, military bases, industrial facilities, and data centers. Many of these advanced designs will depend heavily on digital automation and cybersecurity, creating a need to prove these systems can operate safely in nuclear environments.

Originally built in 1962, PUR-1 is Indiana’s only operating nuclear reactor and one of only a few dozen university research reactors in the country. While its power output is modest, its growing role as a national testing platform could help validate the digital technologies that future nuclear reactors will rely on, potentially improving safety, lowering operating costs, and accelerating the deployment of advanced nuclear energy.