Harnessing the Power of the Sun on Earth
A world powered by the same process that fuels the sun, delivering clean, limitless energy may be within our reach.
This vision is becoming more tangible through ITER, the world’s largest nuclear fusion project underway in southern France. As scientists and engineers navigate unprecedented complexity, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a vital ally in overcoming obstacles and advancing the promise of carbon-free fusion power.
AI: The Key to Tackling Engineering Challenges
ITER’s construction involves more than a million components, requiring extraordinary precision and coordination. Deputy Director General Alain Becoulet likens the project to building “a nuclear Swiss watch.”
To meet this challenge, ITER collaborates with Microsoft, employing tools such as Azure OpenAI Service, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Visual Studio, and GitHub Copilot. These AI-driven technologies play a crucial role in software development, operational simulations, and overall project management.
- AI chatbots in Azure OpenAI allow staff to efficiently search through over a million documents, accelerating research and operational workflows.
- GitHub Copilot helps non-coders participate in software development and simulations, democratizing innovation across the team.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot and custom bots automate and simplify tasks like document retrieval and procurement, streamlining both administrative and technical processes.
Ensuring Precision and Safety with AI
The heart of the ITER project is the tokamak’s vacuum vessel, designed to contain plasma hotter than the sun’s core. Flawless construction is critical. Engineers like Maria Ortiz De Zúñiga use AI-powered models in Visual Studio Code to inspect welds and materials. By analyzing ultrasound scan data, these AI systems detect defects that might escape human notice, safeguarding the vessel’s integrity.
AI also optimizes design, manufacturing, and maintenance workflows. By training models on quality control data, ITER achieves the stringent standards required for nuclear engineering while saving valuable time and resources.
Collaboration and Knowledge Sharing Enhanced by AI
With decades of accumulated expertise and more than a million technical documents, managing knowledge at ITER is a formidable task. Custom AI chatbots integrated with Microsoft Copilot enable staff to quickly find technical details, decode acronyms, and resolve IT issues. This approach streamlines communication, training, and onboarding for both engineers and administrators.
On the administrative side, Copilot assists with processing applications, managing inventory, and generating safety checklists. By making institutional knowledge accessible and actionable, AI ensures that no detail is missed in ITER’s complex operations.
Accelerating Scientific Discovery
AI is also transforming the scientific core of ITER. Physicists use AI to develop software, interpret complex simulations, and predict plasma behavior—an essential factor for safe, sustained fusion. AI systems analyze huge experimental datasets, improve predictive models, and enable high-performance computing simulations of fusion physics on a previously unattainable scale.
- AI interprets experimental data, boosting the accuracy of predictive models.
- Combining high-performance computing and AI allows for advanced simulations essential to fusion research.
- These insights guide experimental design and real-time control, benefiting both current and future fusion projects worldwide.
AI and the Path to Clean Energy
ITER’s primary goal is to demonstrate the feasibility and safety of fusion, laying the groundwork for future commercial power plants. AI is central to this mission, enabling global collaboration and cross-disciplinary innovation.
For engineers and scientists, participation in ITER is not just a technical achievement—it’s a step toward solving the global energy crisis and shaping a sustainable future. As AI continues to augment human capability, the dream of carbon-free fusion energy edges ever closer to realization.
How Artificial Intelligence Is Powering the Future of Carbon-Free Fusion Energy