Abstract: This paper presents some of the issues the nuclear power plant (NPP) industry is facing in the area of instrumentation and control (I&C) systems. In addition, the paper discusses the advantages of a technology that is an alternative to the computer-based solution, the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and its applications in NPPs. Finally, the paper discusses some aspects of the international information exchange in the I&C industry, with special emphasis on the I&C related activities of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Keyword: nuclear instrumentation and control systems；digital I&C; FPGA；