There is significant global interest in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), located in Hefei, China. Often referred to as the “Artificial Sun”, EAST represents a major advancement in nuclear fusion technology. EAST processes three distinctive features: a noncircular plasma chamber cross-section, fully superconducting magnets, and fully actively water-cooled plasma-facing components (PFCs). This configuration reduces inherent energy losses and is specifically designed to facilitate theexploration of the advanced steady-state plasma operation modes, and in particular, the superconducting magnets avoid the rapid overheating associated with traditional copper-coil devices.

EAST aims to replicate the fusion processes of the sun by heating deuterium and tritium to temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius. By employing a combination of radio-frequency heating, neutral beam injection, and high-power steady-state wave heating, together with high-performance tungsten divertors, EAST has successfully achieved unprecedented milestones. It has demonstrated the ability to balance the twin challenges of high temperature and long-duration operation, sustaining plasma temperature of 104 million degrees Celsius for 1,066 seonds,120 million degrees Celsius for 101 seconds, and 160 million degrees Celsius for 20 seconds.

These achievements demonstrate the feasibility of fusion as a virtually limitless, and clean energy source. With fuel derived from deuterium in seawater and tritium bred from lithium, and with a process that produces no greenhouse gas emissions or high-level radioactive waste, the potential of fusion energy is immense. Nevertheless, the path to commercial fusion remains challenging. Key obstacles include sustaining extreme temperatures, controlling plasma instabilities, and developing materials capable of withstanding intense neutron bombardment. Realising success requires engineering precision to transition from short-duration experimental discharges of energy to continuous, grid-ready power generation.

Despite these challenges, EAST occupies a core position in global fusion research. It acts as a vital pathfinder for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), the world's largest scientific collaboration currently under construction. As EAST closely aligns with ITER in both physical design and engineering technology, its experimental data provides valuable support for the feasibility of ITER’s future operations. Furthermore, EAST serves as the pathfinder for the proposed China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR), demonstrating the capability to design, build, and operate the large-scale superconducting systems required for future fusion-based electricity generation.

This article is contributed by Ms Josie Wang with the coordination of the Nuclear Division.