IEC TR 63468:2023 PDF

IEC TR 63468:2023 - Overview

IEC TR 63468:2023 (Nuclear facilities - Instrumentation and control, and electrical power systems - Artificial Intelligence applications) is a Technical Report published by IEC SC 45A. It provides an introductory, nuclear-focused overview of artificial intelligence (AI) fundamentals, identifies proven and potential AI use cases in nuclear facilities, and proposes a structure to support future standardization work on nuclear AI. The document is intended to foster safe, trustworthy adoption of AI across instrumentation & control (I&C) and electrical power systems in nuclear plants.

Key topics and recommended considerations

The report covers technical topics and considerations that are essential when applying AI in nuclear contexts, including:

• AI fundamentals from a nuclear perspective: history, major AI concepts, levels of intelligence and autonomy, and data processing needs.
• Approaches to AI: symbolic vs. sub-symbolic methods, machine learning pipelines, and major ML approaches.
• Application-specific AI fields: data mining, natural language processing (NLP), and computer vision as applied to nuclear operations.
• Data and autonomy: requirements for data quality, specification, virtual sensors, and categorization of autonomy levels for nuclear systems.
• Trustworthiness and assurance: challenges around explainability, reliability, verification & validation (V&V), and human factors engineering.
• Cross-cutting technical considerations: cybersecurity, ageing management, preventive maintenance, anomaly detection, and operational decision support.
• Standards architecture: a proposed three-tier structure for SC 45A AI standards and recommendations to establish a dedicated working group to coordinate cross-cutting AI standard development.

Note: IEC TR 63468 is a technical report that summarizes topics and recommends areas for future normative standard development rather than prescribing specific mandatory requirements.

Practical applications

IEC TR 63468 highlights direct and near‑term AI applications for nuclear facilities:

• Virtual sensors for measurement estimation when physical sensors are unavailable or degraded.
• Intelligent control and supervisory decision‑support to enhance plant operation.
• Condition‑based and preventive maintenance leveraging predictive analytics to extend equipment life and reduce outages.
• Anomaly detection and diagnostics for faster incident identification.
• Ageing management through data-driven trend analysis.
• Cybersecurity augmentation using AI‑based detection of cyber threats.
• Human factors and operator support via NLP interfaces and augmented situational awareness.

Who should use this document

• Nuclear I&C and electrical engineers
• Plant operators and asset managers
• Safety and regulatory bodies
• AI developers and system integrators for nuclear applications
• Standards developers and technical committees (IEC SC 45A and liaisons)

Related standards & next steps

IEC TR 63468 recommends a targeted standardization effort within IEC SC 45A, including creating a new working group to develop normative standards addressing trustworthiness, V&V, data quality, autonomy levels, and cross‑cutting AI governance. It serves as a foundation for future IEC standards on nuclear AI applications and interoperability.

Keywords: IEC TR 63468:2023, nuclear AI applications, instrumentation and control, electrical power systems, AI standardization, IEC SC 45A, AI for nuclear.