The United Kingdom has announced a £45 million investment in an artificial intelligence-powered supercomputer to accelerate research into fusion energy, as part of efforts to advance next-generation clean power technologies.
The system will be developed at the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Campus and will combine high-performance computing with AI-driven modelling to simulate the extreme plasma conditions inside fusion reactors. Scientists say the capability is essential to improving reactor design and bringing fusion energy closer to commercial viability.
UK Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance said the initiative reflects Britain’s ambition to lead global clean energy innovation, stating: “We can be proud that Britain will lead the way on research, innovation and skills for a future of limitless fusion energy.”
He added that the investment also supports long-term economic goals, saying: “By backing our fusion industry, we are not only securing our future energy independence… we are also providing the skilled clean energy jobs of the future for British people.”
The project will be delivered in partnership with the UK Atomic Energy Authority, a key institution in the country’s fusion research programme.
UKAEA Director for Computing Programmes, Dr Rob Akers, said the initiative will allow scientists to test and refine fusion models in virtual environments before physical experimentation. He said: “UKAEA is taking lessons from the Apollo programme: we learn fastest when we can test, iterate, and improve safely in the virtual world before we commit to our real-world mission.”
He added that the supercomputer will enhance predictive modelling capabilities: “Sunrise will bring that capability to fusion by combining high-fidelity simulation with physics-informed AI to develop predictive digital twins that reduce the cost, risk and time of learning.”
Industry partner AMD also welcomed the development. Thomas Zacharia, Senior Vice President for Public Sector Strategy at AMD, said: “With Sunrise, the UK will have a powerful new capability to rapidly and accurately simulate plasma behaviour and fusion conditions…”
Fusion energy, which replicates the process that powers the sun, is widely viewed as a potential source of near-limitless clean energy, producing minimal long-lived radioactive waste and avoiding the meltdown risks associated with nuclear fission.
The government has not confirmed a deployment timeline, but initial phases of the project are expected to begin within the next year as part of the UK’s broader national fusion strategy.
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