SAN FRANCISCO, July 16 (Reuters) - Microsoft ( MSFT ) and a U.S.

national laboratory on Wednesday said they are partnering to

examine how artificial intelligence could be used to speed up

the process of compiling the documents needed to secure permits

for new nuclear power plants.

Microsoft ( MSFT ) and the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)

said they will tap Microsoft's ( MSFT ) AI technology for generating

engineering and safety analysis reports that are a standard part

of the application process for construction permits and

operating licenses for nuclear facilities in the United States.

The AI systems, which have been trained on a huge trove of

successful historical applications, will pull data from studies

and compile it into complex applications that span hundreds of

pages.

"It's created for human refinement, so a human can go

through each of the sections and, specifically as needed, edit

any of the sections, whether manually, or maybe with the help of

AI - it's really up to the human," Nelli Babayan, AI director

for federal civilian business at Microsoft ( MSFT ), told Reuters in an

interview.

The move comes after President Donald Trump in May signed

executive orders to fast-track the licensing process for new

nuclear power plants, aiming to shorten what is often a

multiyear process into as little as 18 months as AI data centers

create soaring demand for energy.

The technology could also help with squeezing more energy

out of existing nuclear plants, said Scott Ferrara, deputy

division director for nuclear safety and regulatory research at

INL. Existing nuclear facilities must submit an evaluation of

how they might increase power output and apply for an amendment

to their operating license.

"A plethora of data already exists from about 82 upgrades

that have already taken place, and they can just pull right from

that (data) and help generate their license amendment request,"

Ferrara told Reuters in an interview.