The essential role of computer technology in a growing fusion industry

The global fusion landscape is undergoing a profound change. The ambition of harnessing “the energy of the Sun and stars” was traditionally pursued through public projects which were government or university-funded, culminating in megaprojects such as ITER. In recent years, new and daring private initiatives have managed to gather substantial private investment, to seek new approaches to realizing the fusion dream. In order to encourage synergy between public and private initiatives, the ITER organization hosted a three-day workshop.

Some startups are working on the well-established magnetic confinement fusion pathways such as Stellarators and Tokamaks while harnessing more agile or more integrated organizational approaches and technological advances in superconductor technologies. Other startups are exploring more exotic avenues, such as inertial confinement fusion. Regardless of the approach, the first step is to test the ideas in simulation. Daan van Vugt spoke to Computer Weekly about five key areas in fusion research and development where high-performance and scientific computing make an impact.