Hitachi's metaverse for nuclear plants to boost design efficiency

Hitachi has launched a "Metaverse Platform for Nuclear Power Plants" aimed at enhancing design efficiency, safety, and maintenance operations within nuclear facilities. The platform recreates nuclear plants in a virtual metaverse environment using high-precision point cloud and 3D CAD data, allowing authorized users to navigate intuitively between plant floors and resume visits from previous locations. It supports simultaneous multi-user access for real-time communication and decision-making among geographically dispersed stakeholders, integrating engineering tools such as centimeter-level measurement, virtual meetings, annotations, and asset information linking to assist with precise planning and execution. The platform addresses challenges in nuclear plant operations, such as restricted access to controlled zones during operation and limited on-site surveys due to regulatory constraints. These factors complicate coordination among electric utilities, contractors, and other stakeholders. Additionally, Japan’s nuclear industry has faced workforce challenges, including retirements of skilled personnel and reduced training opportunities following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Hitachi’s metaverse platform aims to mitigate these issues by facilitating