The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has approved the Framatome TXS Compact Safety Instrumentation and Control (I&C) platform, issuing a conclusive Safety Evaluation Report (SER). This validates that the platform fully meets the strict safety-related system requirements for commercial US nuclear power plants.
NRC’s extensive evaluation confirmed the system’s compliance across multiple critical dimensions. The system uses space-saving, 3U small-form-factor Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology. This is a compact, highly reliable hardware architecture that uses reprogrammable digital microchips arranged on standardised, space-saving circuit boards. In critical industries such as nuclear energy, it replaces large, obsolete analogue systems and complex microprocessor-based computers.
NRC audited the TXS Compact platform by evaluating manufacturing, source code development, and quality assurance (QA) processes to ensure flawless hardware and software, focusing on component traceability, rigorous coding standards, and independent, mandatory verification and validation. The evaluation ensured physical component reliability through stress testing, code integrity through peer review and tool qualification, and systematic defect prevention through organisational independence in QA.
The NRC approval acts as a major regulatory accelerator for the industry. Utilities upgrading legacy, obsolete analogue systems can reference this pre-approved report. This completely eliminates the need for full, plant-specific engineering reviews. The platform is cleared for immediate integration into both operating plants and next-generation advanced reactor designs.
Framatome said the TXS Compact is developed 100% in-house by the largest team of nuclear I&C professionals in the industry with experience from 90 TELEPERM XS digital safety I&C systems installed in 45 nuclear power plants in 17 countries. “The TXS Compact platform delivers a fully digital tool chain, and a cybersecure and scalable architecture in a compact footprint to satisfy any safety I&C application in US nuclear power plants.”
Framatome is engaging with North American utilities to support upcoming safety I&C modernisation projects and with new reactor designers to support utility owners’ low-carbon electricity production and long-term plant operation strategies.
“Achieving NRC approval of the TXS Compact topical report is a testament to our teams’ deep technical and regulatory expertise and their commitment to delivering proven, licensable solutions to our customers,” said Framatome CEO Tony Robinson. “The regulatory approval in record time also reflects the maturity of our technology. This platform can now provide utilities a high degree of confidence and predictability for their critical safety systems.”
