On January 20, 2025, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly known as the “artificial sun,” achieved a groundbreaking breakthrough in nuclear fusion research. The reactor maintained a steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for an unprecedented 1,066 seconds—nearly 18 minutes—shattering its previous record of 403 seconds set in 2023.
This historic milestone is the result of relentless efforts by researchers at the Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) and the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS). By upgrading the reactor’s heating system, they successfully doubled its power output, generating energy levels comparable to 140,000 microwave ovens running simultaneously.
This enhancement enabled EAST to sustain the extreme conditions required for nuclear fusion reactions.
Nuclear fusion, the process that fuels the sun and stars, involves merging light atomic nuclei, such as hydrogen isotopes, to create heavier nuclei, releasing immense amounts of energy. Unlike nuclear fission, which splits heavy atoms and powers today’s nuclear reactors, fusion offers a cleaner energy alternative with minimal long-lived radioactive waste and a dramatically lower risk of catastrophic failures.
Replicating fusion on Earth, however, presents formidable challenges. While the sun relies on immense gravitational pressure to sustain fusion at approximately 15 million degrees Celsius, Earth-based reactors must heat plasma to over 100 million degrees Celsius to compensate for the lack of such pressure. EAST employs advanced magnetic fields to confine and stabilize the superheated plasma, working toward “ignition,” the point at which fusion reactions sustain themselves.
China’s advancements with EAST play a crucial role in global nuclear fusion research. The country remains a key participant in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project based in France, a collaborative initiative involving 35 nations. ITER aims to generate 500 megawatts of fusion power from an input of just 50 megawatts, sustaining operations for over 400 seconds.
China has taken a leading role in designing and manufacturing essential components for ITER, including systems that support the reactor’s massive magnets, which are critical for maintaining structural stability.
The insights and data gathered from EAST are invaluable to ITER and other global fusion projects. According to Song Juntao, a nuclear physicist at ASIPP, the goal is to “foster international collaboration through EAST and bring fusion energy into practical use for humanity.” Gong Xianzu, head of EAST’s physics and experimental operations, emphasized that the ultimate objective is to replicate the sun’s fusion process on Earth, providing humanity with an inexhaustible supply of clean energy and opening doors to interstellar exploration.
Although significant scientific and engineering challenges persist, EAST’s achievement marks a major step toward harnessing nuclear fusion as a sustainable energy source. As the world searches for alternatives to fossil fuels, China’s “artificial sun” serves as a beacon of hope, lighting the way to a future powered by limitless, clean energy.
