"Energy startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems said Thursday it's working with Google's DeepMind division to fine tune - and even improve - the operation of its forthcoming Sparc reactor using AI. The companies plan will simulate the plasma that will burn inside CFS's reactor using specialized DeepMind software known as Torax. They also plan on pairing Torax with AI models to help CFS figure out how best to achieve fusion power."
"One of the biggest challenges facing fusion startups is keeping the plasma inside a reactor hot enough for long enough. Unlike nuclear fission reactions, which are self-sustaining, fusion reactions are difficult to maintain outside of stars like the Sun. Without that sort of mass and gravity, the plasma is constantly in danger of diffusing and snuffing itself out. In CFS's reactors, powerful magnets substitute for gravity to help corral the plasma, but they're not perfect."
Commonwealth Fusion Systems is collaborating with Google's DeepMind to simulate plasma behavior in the Sparc reactor using Torax and additional AI models to optimize control strategies. Fusion power promises large-scale electricity with zero emissions using water as fuel. Google has previously applied AI to fusion research with TAE Technologies and is exploring fusion as a potential energy source for data centers. Maintaining hot, confined plasma is difficult outside stellar conditions; CFS uses powerful magnets to corral plasma but must develop control software to respond to many changing parameters beyond human capability—an area where AI excels.
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