BuildLink: AI Decision Support for Infrastructure Operations
BuildLink is a GraphRAG-based research prototype developed for remote microreactor operations. Operators often need to follow long procedures while also thinking about alarms, equipment status, and past incidents. BuildLink brings those pieces together in one place.
The system turns written procedures and incident records into connected knowledge graphs. When an operator asks a question, the AI advisor retrieves relevant procedure steps and similar past incidents, then shows a short answer with traceable evidence. The goal is not to replace the operator, but to help them understand what information matters and why.
In the current prototype, we use a nuclear power plant Loss of Feedwater scenario as a case study because it is a safety-critical setting with clear procedures, alarms, and operator actions. The broader idea can also apply to other infrastructure domains, such as water systems, transportation systems, and industrial facilities.
This project was conducted from July 2024 to June 2026 with support from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance. I integrated the GraphRAG assistant into the operator interface and connected procedure and incident knowledge graphs to provide traceable evidence during abnormal situations. The incident graph contains 675 NRC Licensee Event Reports. The work produced two first-author conference papers: BuildLink: Graph-Structured Procedural Representation with Incident Integration (ICCCBE 2026) and A Traceable AI-Agent Operation Framework Using Graph-Based Procedures in Nuclear Abnormal Scenario Simulation (PSAM 18).