IAEA Nuclear Knowledge Repository Surpasses Five Million Records Since 2025

IAEA officials say access to reliable nuclear information remains essential for ensuring global safety, technological innovation and responsible nuclear governance.

The International Atomic Energy Agency's flagship nuclear information platform has surpassed five million records following record growth in 2025, highlighting accelerating global interest in nuclear science, energy, safety and technological research amid renewed international focus on nuclear development.

The International Nuclear Information System (INIS), one of the world's largest repositories of nuclear science and technology documentation, added more than 203,000 new knowledge products during 2025 alone, while user engagement reached unprecedented levels across the platform.

Operated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in partnership with more than 130 countries and 11 international organizations, INIS has served as a central global hub for nuclear information since its establishment in 1970.

Nuclear Research Demand Accelerating Worldwide

The latest figures suggest rapidly growing global demand for access to trusted nuclear knowledge as countries increasingly explore nuclear energy expansion, medical applications, advanced reactor technologies and climate-related energy transitions.

According to the IAEA:

• INIS now hosts more than:

  • 5 million nuclear-related records

• In 2025 alone:

  • 203,668 new knowledge products were added

• User activity reached record levels with:

  • Nearly 6 million searches

  • More than 13 million page views

  • Approximately 4.9 million global users

The platform provides open-access information on peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology, including:

• Nuclear energy

• Radiation safety

• Nuclear medicine

• Reactor technologies

• Environmental applications

• Safeguards and non-proliferation

• Scientific research

Nuclear Knowledge Seen as Critical to Safety and Innovation

IAEA officials say access to reliable nuclear information remains essential for ensuring global safety, technological innovation and responsible nuclear governance.

"In the nuclear field, knowledge is the foundation of safety, innovation and responsibility," said Dibuleng Mohlakwana, Head of the IAEA's Nuclear Information Section.

The agency says the rapid expansion of nuclear research and policy development globally has increased the importance of preserving and sharing high-quality technical information.

The repository also plays a major role in supporting developing countries seeking to strengthen national nuclear programmes, research capacity and regulatory systems.

Major Digital Modernisation Completed

A significant driver of the platform's recent growth has been the deployment of a modernised repository system built on the Invenio digital library platform.

The upgraded infrastructure was launched in 2025 as part of a broader effort to modernise the management, preservation and accessibility of nuclear information.

According to the IAEA, the updated system now:

• Integrates the IAEA Lise Meitner Library catalogue

• Improves information curation and retrieval

• Enhances long-term digital preservation

• Expands public accessibility

• Supports growing global content volumes

The repository is available through the IAEA website and is designed to handle increasingly large flows of scientific and technical material contributed by member states and international organizations.

"The modernization of the INIS repository in 2025 reflects a strategic, progressive approach to managing nuclear information resources," Mohlakwana said.

Artificial Intelligence Driving Major Productivity Gains

The IAEA has also significantly expanded the use of artificial intelligence tools across INIS operations.

AI-assisted systems are now being used to:

• Analyse incoming content

• Support indexing and categorisation

• Streamline workflows

• Accelerate repository integration

• Improve searchability and user experience

Officials say the use of AI has dramatically increased operational efficiency.

"With the implementation of AI-assisted routines across the information management workflow, we're observing an incredible increase in productivity — we can now process roughly twice as many records," said Zaven Hakopov, Nuclear Support Systems Coordinator and Acting INIS Coordinator.

The development reflects a broader trend across scientific institutions toward integrating AI into large-scale information management systems.

Global Nuclear Sector Undergoing Renewed Expansion

The rapid growth of INIS comes amid a major resurgence of global interest in nuclear energy and nuclear technologies.

Countries worldwide are increasingly turning to nuclear power as part of efforts to:

• Reduce carbon emissions

• Improve energy security

• Meet rising electricity demand

• Support industrial decarbonisation

At the same time, nuclear science applications are expanding across:

• Medicine

• Agriculture

• Water management

• Food security

• Environmental monitoring

This renewed interest has intensified demand for trusted technical information, regulatory guidance and research access.

International Collaboration Central to Repository

INIS operates through a unique international cooperation model involving national centres and partner institutions worldwide.

Participating countries and organizations contribute:

• Scientific publications

• Technical reports

• Conference proceedings

• Research papers

• Regulatory documentation

The system helps ensure that nuclear knowledge remains accessible globally, including for countries with developing nuclear programmes.

Experts say the platform plays a crucial role in preserving institutional memory and supporting global knowledge exchange across the nuclear sector.

Training and Capacity Building Expanded

Beyond information access, INIS also supports member countries through training and capacity-building initiatives.

The programme offers:

• Technical seminars

• eLearning courses

• Information management training

• Guidance on indexing and cataloguing

• Search and retrieval instruction

Training programmes are designed to strengthen national nuclear information systems and improve countries' ability to contribute to and utilise the repository.

Officials say expanding technical knowledge-sharing remains particularly important as more countries enter or expand nuclear sectors.

Nuclear Information Becoming Strategic Asset

The continued expansion of INIS highlights how scientific information management is becoming increasingly strategic in the global nuclear landscape.

As nuclear technologies evolve rapidly — including developments in:

• Small modular reactors

• Fusion research

• Advanced fuels

• Nuclear medicine

• AI-assisted reactor systems

access to reliable technical information is becoming more critical for regulators, researchers and policymakers.

The IAEA says INIS will continue evolving to support the growing complexity and scale of global nuclear knowledge systems while ensuring broad public access to peaceful nuclear science and technology information.