Archive

Innovation & Infrastructure

Reporting on construction, facility upgrades, digital transformation, AI deployment, and technology initiatives reshaping how the weapons complex and nuclear sector operate.

  • BWXT opens Oak Ridge centrifuge manufacturing plant

    BWX Technologies said Monday it has opened its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development in Oak Ridge, Tenn., supporting national defense-focused uranium enrichment for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).  BWXT, based in Lynchburg, Va., was awarded a $1.5 billion-value contract from NNSA in September to assist NNSA in creating a reliable supply of enriched […]

  • Centrus prepares to expand Oak Ridge manufacturing plant

    Centrus Energy plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. at an investment of more than $560 million, according to the company’s Jan. 23 press release. The Bethesda, Md.-based uranium broker said the expansion of the Oak Ridge manufacturing plant supports its plans to expand the uranium enrichment plant at the Department of […]

  • Kiewit exec: NNSA infrastructure must be overhauled swiftly, safely

    ARLINGTON, VA -The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors must modernize key infrastructure quickly, a Kiewit Nuclear executive said here Monday. “We are at an inflection point,” Mike Rinehart, president of Kiewit Nuclear Solutions, told Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit Monday afternoon. “The nuclear security enterprise is expected […]

  • Westinghouse collaborates with two companies to produce Cobalt-60

    Westinghouse has partnered with Nordion and Public Service Enterprise Group Nuclear (PSEG) to launch the first commercial-scale production of Cobalt-60 in pressurized water reactors. Cobalt-60 is a critical isotope used in the medical field and other industries. Isotope uses include cancer radiation therapy, sterilizing medical devices and food irradiation.  Westinghouse, which designed the pressurized water […]

  • Charles Ball appointed head of AI, Genesis Mission at NNSA

    ARLINGTON, VA – Charles Ball was named the lead for the Genesis Mission at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency’s head Brandon Williams said Tuesday in his keynote at Exchange Monitor’s Nuclear Deterrence Summit. The Genesis Mission is an executive order from November by President Donald Trump which calls for a national effort […]

  • Kiewit exec: NNSA infrastructure must be overhauled swiftly, safely

    ARLINGTON, VA -The Department of Energy’s semiautonomous National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and its contractors must modernize key infrastructure quickly, a Kiewit Nuclear executive said here Monday. “We are at an inflection point,” Mike Rinehart, president of Kiewit Nuclear Solutions, told Exchange Monitor’s annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit Monday afternoon. “The nuclear security enterprise is expected […]

  • BWXT opens Oak Ridge centrifuge manufacturing plant

    BWX Technologies said Monday it has opened its Centrifuge Manufacturing Development in Oak Ridge, Tenn., supporting national defense-focused uranium enrichment for the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA).  BWXT, based in Lynchburg, Va., was awarded a $1.5 billion-value contract from NNSA in September to assist NNSA in creating a reliable supply of enriched […]

  • Centrus prepares to expand Oak Ridge manufacturing plant

    Centrus Energy plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Oak Ridge, Tenn. at an investment of more than $560 million, according to the company’s Jan. 23 press release. The Bethesda, Md.-based uranium broker said the expansion of the Oak Ridge manufacturing plant supports its plans to expand the uranium enrichment plant at the Department of […]

  • NNSA explores pilot project with AWS for Genesis, fed spending site says

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awarded Amazon Web Services (AWS) a contract,worth up to $30.7 million, to complete high-performance computing support and data processing services for the agency. The sole source contract, which has a $10-million floor, is named “AWS Genesis Demonstrator,” and the NNSA Weapons Activities Office provided the funds. The agreement is […]

  • NNSA explores pilot project with AWS for Genesis, fed spending site says

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) awarded Amazon Web Services (AWS) a contract,worth up to $30.7 million, to complete high-performance computing support and data processing services for the agency. The sole source contract, which has a $10-million floor, is named “AWS Genesis Demonstrator,” and the NNSA Weapons Activities Office provided the funds. The agreement is […]

  • DOE, NASA team up to deploy moon reactor by 2030

    The Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have signed a renewed memorandum of understanding, joining efforts to develop a nuclear power reactor on the moon by 2030. The Tuesday interagency MOU affirms President Donald Trump’s space goals, outlined in the Dec. 18 executive order “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, and its collaboration […]

  • DOE, NASA partner up to deploy moon reactor by 2030

    The Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have signed a renewed memorandum of understanding, joining efforts to develop a nuclear power reactor on the moon by 2030. The Tuesday interagency MOU affirms President Donald Trump administration’s space goals, outlined in the Dec. 18 executive order “Ensuring American Space Superiority”, and its […]

  • NRC approves Constellation’s nuclear plant digital upgrade

    Constellation Energy’s Limerick Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania has been approved for a $167-million upgrade by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). According to Constellation’s Tuesday press release, NRC approved a license amendment that greenlights Limerick’s Digital Modernization Project. The upgrade is part of a $5.1 billion investment across Pennsylvania to preserve 5,100 megawatts of power […]

  • DNFSB enters brave new world of generative AI for safety

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is setting terms on how it can start using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance nuclear safeguards “without undue risks.” The policy is laid out in a Dec. 29 directive that will apply “to all DNFSB personnel, it full-time employees, contractors, consultants, interns, and any individuals granted access […]

  • DNFSB enters brave new world of generative AI for safety

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is setting terms on how it can start using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance nuclear safeguards “without undue risks.” The policy is laid out in a Dec. 29 directive that will apply “to all DNFSB personnel, it full-time employees, contractors, consultants, interns, and any individuals granted access […]

  • DNFSB enters brave new world of generative AI for safety

    The Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board (DNFSB) is setting terms on how it can start using generative artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance nuclear safeguards “without undue risks.” The policy is laid out in a Dec. 29 directive that will apply “to all DNFSB personnel, it full-time employees, contractors, consultants, interns, and any individuals granted access […]

  • NRC approves Constellation’s nuclear plant digital upgrade

    Constellation Energy’s Limerick Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania has been approved for a $167-million upgrade by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). According to Constellation’s Tuesday press release, NRC approved a license amendment that greenlights Limerick’s Digital Modernization Project. The upgrade is part of a $5.1 billion investment across Pennsylvania to preserve 5,100 megawatts of power […]

  • NNSA awarded $28 million to modernize technology infrastructure

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was awarded over $28 million to modernize its technology infrastructure for emergency response, the Technology Modernization Fund said on its investment page. The Technology Modernization Fund, which provided the award, was created in 2017 to provide civilian government agencies with funding for tech modernization projects. The TMF’s authority expired […]

  • NNSA awarded $28 million to modernize technology infrastructure

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was awarded over $28 million to modernize its technology infrastructure for emergency response, the Technology Modernization Fund said on its investment page. The Technology Modernization Fund, which provided the award, was created in 2017 to provide civilian government agencies with funding for tech modernization projects. The TMF’s authority expired […]

  • Wrap up: Sandia unveils new supercomputer; BWXT reaches Project Pele milestone; Golden Dome progress; more

    Sandia National Laboratories announced the unveiling of its newest supercomputer, Spectra, on Monday. Sandia teamed up with technology company NextSilicon by using 128 of its specialized chips, with aims to increase performance but reduce power consumption. The chips, called Maverick-2 dual-die accelerators, analyze code to prioritize tasks, a different system than the CPUs and GPUs […]

  • NNSA requests info on AI capabilities in national security after Trump’s Genesis exec order

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) issued a request for information from “innovators” in artificial intelligence (AI) with aims to integrate AI into the agency’s critical operations, NNSA announced Monday. The request for information (RFI), entitled “Transformational AI Capabilities for National Security,” was released one week after President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on […]

  • NNSA requests info on AI capabilities in national security after Trump’s Genesis exec order

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) issued a request for information from “innovators” in artificial intelligence (AI) with aims to integrate AI into the agency’s critical operations, NNSA announced Monday. The request for information (RFI), entitled “Transformational AI Capabilities for National Security,” was released one week after President Donald Trump issued an Executive Order on […]

  • Constellation looks to double nuclear capacity at Calvert Cliffs

    Constellation Energy announced plans this week to explore adding 2,000 megawatts of new nuclear power in Maryland while seeking a license extension for its existing nuclear units.  On Tuesday, Constellation released a long-range proposal to develop up to 5,800 megawatts of power generation and battery storage projects in the state. Constellation’s proposal includes a prominent […]

  • NNSA partners with HPE and NVIDIA for two new supercomputers

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced Tuesday its Los Alamos National Laboratory selected tech companies Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and NVIDIA to develop and deploy two new supercomputers. The two computers, named “Mission” and “Vision,” will be used for modeling and simulations at the lab.  “Mission” will be used to assist NNSA research without […]

  • Nuclear workforce needs more people, prime contractors tell conference

    KNOXVILLE, TENN. – Several executives with Department of Energy prime contractors said Wednesday morning that workforce gaps will need to be filled if they plan to meet the growing demand for nuclear energy and services. Panelists from across the DOE nuclear complex told attendees at the Energy, Technology and Environmental Business Association’s (ETEBA) Business Opportunities […]

  • NNSA partners with HPE and NVIDIA for two new supercomputers

    The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced Tuesday its Los Alamos National Laboratory selected tech companies Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and NVIDIA to develop and deploy two new supercomputers. The two computers, named “Mission” and “Vision,” will be used for modeling and simulations at the lab.  “Mission” will be used to assist NNSA research without […]

  • Pacific Fusion to open $1 billion campus in New Mexico

    Pacific Fusion announced Sept. 26 it has chosen Albuquerque, N.M. as the site for its $1 billion research and manufacturing campus. The facility at Mesa del Sol is projected to bring over 200 long-term jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, according to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) Sept. 26 press release. The research […]

  • NNSA requests proposals for AI data centers at Savannah River Site

    The Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Tuesday published a request seeking proposals from contractors looking to build and power artificial intelligence (AI) data centers at Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. The notice calls for “entities interested in entering a long-term lease” located at Savannah River Site. Interested parties would be involved […]

  • DOE, landlord contractor break ground on new Hanford fire station

    Construction of a new fire hall at the Hanford Site in Washington state gets underway in October and could be finished sometime in spring 2027, the Department of Energy said Tuesday. In a news release, DOE’s Office of Environmental Management said the long-planned new fire station will have enough room, 22,000-square-feet, to sleep 12 firefighters […]

  • Pacific Fusion to open $1 billion campus in New Mexico

    Pacific Fusion announced Sept. 26 it has chosen Albuquerque, N.M. as the site for its $1 billion research and manufacturing campus. The facility at Mesa del Sol is projected to bring over 200 long-term jobs and hundreds of construction jobs, according to New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s (D) Sept. 26 press release. The research […]