Bringing AI to the next generation of fusion energy

Google DeepMind · 8 months ago

Google DeepMind is partnering with Commonwealth Fusion Systems to use artificial intelligence for controlling plasma in fusion reactors, focusing on optimizing the SPARC tokamak machine designed to achieve net energy gain. The collaboration centers on three areas: developing TORAX, a fast plasma simulator built in JAX; using reinforcement learning to find optimal operating parameters; and creating AI-based real-time control systems to manage heat distribution and plasma stability. The partnership aims to accelerate the timeline toward delivering fusion energy to the grid by running millions of virtual experiments before SPARC operation begins.