An international team is using artificial intelligence to speed up construction of the world's largest fusion reactor.
Nuclear fusion is the process wherein hydrogen atoms fuse to form helium, which releases massive amounts of energy. It is the same reaction that powers the sun.
Since the 1930s, scientists have hoped to harness fusion as an affordable, carbon-free energy source, but attempting to replicate the sun is no easy task. The challenge for the 2,000 scientists, physicists, and workers building the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor in France is to house plasma hotter than the sun's.
"We're assembling a little bit more than 1 million parts, and the challenge is not only to manufacture these things, the challenge is also to assemble them and have it all work at once," Alain Bécoulet, physicist and ITER deputy director general, told Microsoft.
The nine sections of the donut-shaped vacuum vessel known as a tokamak are being built in multiple countries. Those parts need to be machined and welded together.
"It's like a nuclear Swiss watch," Bécoulet said.
The team turned to AI to help assemble that clockwork. According to Interesting Engineering, the model can parse the large amount of data involved to check the quality and precision of the welds, saving hours of work. AI can also analyze the materials that will line the tokamak.
Another problem the team encountered was sifting through 20 years of research. A new AI chatbot can summarize, search, and even answer questions posed in multiple languages about the 1.5 million documents in the system. Thousands of project members have used the tool since it was launched in early 2024.
First envisioned in 1985, ITER is a collaborative effort by more than 30 countries to prove fusion's feasibility on an industrial scale. Fusion is often referred to as "the holy grail" of clean energy because it could generate virtually limitless clean, safe, and affordable energy.
At scale, fusion could be cheaper than other sources. It generates four times more energy per kilogram of fuel than a nuclear fission power plant and nearly four million times more energy than burning dirty fuels such as oil or coal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. And fusion doesn't create the same type of dangerous radioactive waste as nuclear fission. Reducing reliance on air-polluting dirty energy sources would make the air cleaner for humans and reduce planet-warming emissions.
TCD Picks » REI Spotlight
💡 REI's Re/Supply program makes it easy for REI Co-op members to shop and trade in high-quality used gear and apparel for massive discounts
|
Should we be harnessing the ocean to power our homes? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 👍 Fusion wouldn't be limited by weather or time of day, complementing renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.
ITER is slated to go online by 2033. The reactor will generate about 500 megawatts of power annually, but that power isn't destined for the grid. The purpose of ITER is to learn how to operate a fusion plant successfully and share that knowledge with the world.
The new AI-powered tools will help enable that flow of information and achieve a cleaner future powered by fusion.
"That's what drives us," María Ortiz De Zúñiga, an ITER engineer, told Microsoft. "Manufacturing is exciting for an engineer. But when you get to produce a component that will be part of ITER, you realize how your work is part of the big picture in solving the energy crisis."
Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
