InfraShield will unveil its new secure, locally-run AI platform for the first time at the nuclear industry’s premier technology and cybersecurity conference. The move marks a turning point in how the nuclear sector addresses digital threats: no longer as an afterthought, but as a core component of system architecture from day one.
The Fairfax, Virginia-based company specializes in protecting critical infrastructure across operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) environments. Its clients account for more than 60% of U.S. nuclear generation capacity. The new AI platform is designed to run entirely on-premises—without relying on external cloud connections—a feature that directly addresses the isolation and control requirements inherent to nuclear environments. Alongside the platform, InfraShield will also showcase PEEPS® (Portable Electronic Equipment Protection System), a solution designed to manage and monitor portable devices used inside nuclear facilities—one of the sector’s most persistent attack vectors.
The timing of this announcement is no coincidence. The nuclear sector is undergoing rapid digital modernization: next-generation reactors, including SMRs, incorporate advanced digital systems that expand the attack surface. Mario Fernandez, InfraShield’s Director of Nuclear Security and Compliance, framed the company’s philosophy with a clear distinction: when cybersecurity is bolted on, it becomes a constraint; when it is engineered into systems from the start, it becomes an enabler of safe and reliable nuclear operations. Elizabeth McAndrew-Benavides, a former official with U.S. Cyber Command, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), emphasized that the pace of AI innovation inevitably amplifies cyber risks—and that the response must be structural, not reactive.
The regulatory landscape is moving in the same direction. New NRC guidelines are pushing toward risk- and performance-based approaches, with greater flexibility for SMRs and microreactors. This lowers licensing barriers but introduces complexity in compliance management, particularly when emerging technologies—including AI—are adopted without well-defined security frameworks. InfraShield positions itself as the technical partner capable of bridging that gap, drawing on expertise built directly within U.S. regulatory institutions. The company has already expanded its presence into the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East, operating across critical infrastructure in sectors ranging from energy and mining to water and government.
The debut of the local AI platform comes at a moment when the convergence of artificial intelligence and nuclear energy is becoming structural. Major technology players—from Google to Amazon—have signed long-term agreements with nuclear energy producers, broadening the range of actors involved in plant digital supply chains and multiplying sensitive integration points. More interfaces mean more exposure. InfraShield‘s answer—AI that runs locally, device-level control, architectures built to withstand attack—aims to make digital security an enabling condition for nuclear growth, rather than a compliance burden to be managed after the fact.
