Insights from NITSL 2025: Innovation, Resilience, and the Future of Nuclear IT

The 2025 NITSL Conference in Savannah, Georgia brought together industry leaders from across the nuclear utility landscape to collaborate on the future of IT, operations, and security. Sheffield Scientific was proud to participate—engaging in meaningful discussions, meeting with customers and partners, and sharing insights into enterprise asset management, Maximo upgrades, cybersecurity, and more.

Here are the key takeaways from this year’s event:

Day 1: Industry Leadership, Innovation & AI in Engineering

Southern Nuclear’s Opening Remarks
Southern Nuclear set the stage with a powerful overview of the challenges and achievements involved in constructing and operating Vogtle Units 3 & 4. The message underscored the need for technology solutions that are reliable, scalable, and aligned with long-term operational success.

Lifecycle IT Strategy from Southern Company
Southern Company’s IT leadership shared their lifecycle process for managing IT projects, emphasizing governance, sustainability, and value-driven implementation across the nuclear enterprise.

Continuity of Operations – INPO 24-003
One of the major themes this year was resilience. INPO 24-003, a joint document developed by INPO, NEI, and utility members, outlines strategies for maintaining operations during natural, cyber, and physical threats. This aligns directly with our work at Sheffield Scientific supporting clients with the Serket cybersecurity platform.

AI in Engineering – Jensen Hughes
A standout moment came with a demonstration of an LLM-based AI application integrated with EAM and CRM platforms. Developed by Jensen Hughes, the solution illustrated how artificial intelligence can solve engineering equations and support tech spec compliance—early evidence of how AI is transforming technical disciplines in nuclear energy.

Day 2: Responsible AI, Cybersecurity Challenges & Major Restart Plans

AI: Caution, Clarity, and Control
While enthusiasm for AI continues to grow, speakers emphasized the need for responsible adoption. Key takeaways included:

• Don't let AI stand for "AIn’t there"—do your architectural review and due diligence.

• Account for all costs, including those beyond software licensing.

• Monitor AI performance over time to ensure it still meets business needs.

• Avoid deploying AI just for FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).

• Be aware of data security and compliance risks associated with AI platforms.

• Diversify suppliers to avoid dependency on a single AI vendor.

This perspective aligns with our approach at Sheffield Scientific: solutions must be grounded in practicality, fit-for-purpose, and secure.

Featured Speaker: Morris Morrison
The keynote by Morris Morrison added a powerful message about transformation and leadership in rapidly changing environments. His energy, insights, and storytelling made a lasting impression on attendees. More about him here →

Crane Energy Restart
A major announcement came from Constellation: the long-shuttered TMI-1 (Three Mile Island Unit 1) site—now Crane Energy—is moving forward with a full restart, with:

• Formal go-ahead set for 09/29/24

• Full funding approved in May 2025

• Planned restart in 2027
  IT teams are currently evaluating 500+ legacy applications to determine their relevance and priority in the restart process—highlighting the scale and complexity of modern nuclear digital ecosystems.

Cybersecurity & Vulnerability Management
Sessions on cybersecurity and vulnerability management brought forward key trends:

• Focus on refining the indirect CDA process and possibly updating NEI 13-10

• Guidance being developed to determine when patching is required and when it's not

• E-controls remain the top source of violations, though trends show improvement (especially in Region 4)

• Updates to NEI 08-09, Rev 7 are pending NRC approval, with triannual inspections starting January 1, 2026

• With uncertainty around the future of the NVD (National Vulnerability Database), the industry is preparing contingency plans in case federal support is reduced or eliminated

Sheffield Scientific’s Focus at NITSL

Throughout the conference, we were proud to share how we're helping utilities prepare for what’s next—with solutions that are both strategic and executable:

• IBM Maximo and MAS transformation (as an IBM Gold Partner)

• Cybersecurity resilience with our Serket platform

• Asset management and data modernization

• Guidance for AI readiness, software architecture, and governance

We appreciated the many conversations at Booth #22 and especially enjoyed reconnecting during Vendor Night, filled with great networking, food, and raffles!

Moving Forward

NITSL 2025 confirmed that while the nuclear industry values tradition and safety, it’s also leaning into innovation—with a focus on responsible AI, cybersecurity accountability, and data-driven decision making.

Sheffield Scientific is here to support that mission. If you didn’t get a chance to connect with us at the event—or want to dig deeper into what we discussed—please reach out. We'd love to keep the conversation going.