In a remarkable advancement for nuclear fusion, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly referred to as the “artificial sun,” has achieved a new world record by maintaining high-confinement plasma operation for an impressive 1,066 seconds. This milestone was reached on January 20, 2025, significantly surpassing the previous record of 403 seconds set by the same reactor just last year.

Pushing the boundaries of clean energy

The EAST project, managed by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), has been at the forefront of fusion research since its inception in 2006. The recent achievement not only demonstrates the reactor’s capability to reach and sustain temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius but also marks a critical step toward developing practical fusion energy solutions.

“A device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for thousands of seconds to enable the self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is critical for the continuous power generation of future fusion plants,” stated Song Yuntao, director of ASIPP. He emphasized that this latest record holds monumental significance in the quest for a viable fusion reactor.

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Understanding fusion: The science behind the “artificial sun”

Nuclear fusion mimics the process that powers our sun, where light atomic nuclei merge to form heavier nuclei, releasing vast amounts of energy in the process. To replicate these stellar conditions on Earth, EAST utilizes powerful magnetic fields to confine hot plasma within a doughnut-shaped chamber. By using hydrogen isotopes, scientists aim to create a plasma state where ions and electrons are separated and heated to extreme temperatures.

The EAST reactor has consistently surpassed milestones in high-confinement mode, which is essential for experimental fusion reactors. Notably, it previously reached similar temperatures back in 2018.

A competitive landscape

While EAST leads in this field, it is not alone in the race for nuclear fusion breakthroughs. The Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (STAR) device from Korea achieved a plasma temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds in December 2020. As global interest in fusion energy grows, international collaborations are expected to increase, fostering advancements that could one day lead to sustainable energy sources.

As researchers continue their work on EAST and other fusion projects worldwide, this latest achievement serves as a beacon of hope for clean energy solutions that could revolutionize power generation and combat climate change.