iFAN Ecosystem: A Unified AI, Digital Twin, Cyber‑Physical Security, and Robotics Environment for Advanced Nuclear Simulation and Operations

As nuclear facilities experience digital transformation and advanced reactor development, AI integration in cyber-physical security and other emerging technologies, such as autonomous robot operations, is increasingly developed. However, evaluation and deployment are challenged by the lack of dedicated virtual testbeds. The iFAN ecosystem is developed, a comprehensive digital twin framework with a realistic 3D environment with physics-based simulations. The iFAN ecosystem serves as a high-fidelity virtual testbed to develop AI methods for plant operation, cybersecurity, physical security, and robotic operation, as it provides real-time data exchange for pre-deployment verification. Core features include virtual reality, reinforcement learning, radiation simulation, and cyber-physical security. In addition, the paper investigates various applications through potential operational scenarios. The iFAN ecosystem provides a versatile and secure architecture for validating the next generation of autonomous and cyber-resilient nuclear operations.