Russia Is Using AI to Build Digital Twins of Nuclear Power Plants—From Soviet Blueprints to Smart Models

In the world of atomic energy, complexity is the norm

Russia is now tackling that complexity with a powerful new ally: artificial intelligence. The country has launched an ambitious initiative to create digital twins of its nuclear power plants—virtual replicas of physical reactors that can simulate, predict, and optimize every aspect of their operation.

But here’s the kicker: much of the documentation for Russia’s aging nuclear fleet—many built during the Soviet era—exists only on paper. We’re talking decades of blueprints, safety logs, engineering reports, and maintenance records trapped in analog formats.

That’s where neural networks step in. According to Evgeny Abakumov, Director of Information and Digital Technologies at Rosatom, AI is now being deployed to scan, process, and digitize enormous volumes of data, transforming everything from original construction plans to modern inspection reports into structured, searchable, and simulation-ready digital assets.

Without AI, the task would take decades. With it, it’s becoming a fast-track to modernization—and a global first. “Generative AI and other IT technologies will also be used in the design and construction of new nuclear facilities,” Abakumov explained. “In this space, Russia is breaking ground—no one else on the planet is doing this at this scale.”

These digital twins will do more than archive the past. They’ll enable predictive maintenance, real-time system modeling, and more efficient upgrades—turning Cold War-era infrastructure into 21st-century smart systems.

This isn’t just digital transformation. It’s nuclear infrastructure reimagined through AI, one blueprint at a time.