A Chinese company aims to build the world’s first high-temperature superconducting tokamak by the end of this year, using artificial intelligence technology. Stakeholders look forward to the development of nuclear fusion power, which is considered the “ultimate energy” of the ideal future for mankind.
A tokamak is an experimental machine designed to harness the energy of fusion.
Guo Haoyang, co-founder of Shanghai-based startup Energy Singularity, highlighted at a forum held later this year, according to a report from thepaper.cn, the company will combine advanced high-temperature superconducting tokamaks and intelligence technology to build the world’s first . High temperature superconducting tokamaks, exploring advanced compact high-confinement tokamak modes of operation.
In addition, by 2027, the company plans to comprehensively verify an advanced steady-state high-magnetic field, high-temperature superconducting tokamak and lay the scientific and technological foundation for efficient fusion power acquisition. By 2030, a demonstration power plant will be built, Guo said.
Prior to Energy Singularity, Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio also invested in a start-up that is developing fusion technologies, Reuters reported. The newly formed company, Neo Fusion, will research and develop technologies that aim to bring controlled fusion into commercial use globally in about two decades.
However, industry observers have pointed out that nuclear fusion is still confined to the laboratory and funded mostly by governments, as it requires significant investment, and it may take decades for the technology to reach the market.
Guo said that controlled nuclear fusion is one of the important ways to solve energy and environmental problems. According to the World Energy Outlook, humans will face an energy deficit of more than 10 percent by 2050 if fossil fuels such as oil, natural gas and coal are gradually driven out of the global market. This is a great opportunity and challenge for development. Controlled nuclear fusion energy.
The problem with the tokamak is that its equipment is very large and complex, and the cost of construction and operation is high. In recent years, advances in high-temperature superconducting materials and other technologies have made it possible to develop economically viable tokamaks.
