Chinese scientists have been running the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion reactor, known as the artificial sun, since 2006, conducting hundreds of thousands of tests. The primary motive of this artificial sun is to create a nuclear fusion-like sun providing humanity with an endless, clean energy source and enabling space exploration beyond the solar system. Nuclear fusion, which aims to mimic the energy production of the sun has been a goal of scientists for a long time.
Back in 2023, the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP) set a world record when the EAST reactor sustained plasma for 403 seconds. China scientists have now achieved a remarkable milestone as the EAST nuclear fusion reactor has sustained plasma temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius for 1066 seconds (nearly 18 minutes) on Earth.
The duration of 1000 seconds was considered a key step in fusion research. It is said that a fusion device must achieve stable operation at high efficiency for 1000 seconds to enable self-sustaining circulation of plasma, which is critical for continuous power generation of future fusion plants. Therefore this new record set by China is considered a crucial step toward the development of a fusion reactor.
As per reports, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) is focused on creating an industrial prototype fusion reactor by 2035. The goal is to make large-scale fusion technology commercially viable by 2050.
