Overview

• DeepMind and Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced a research collaboration to apply AI to CFS’s SPARC reactor, focusing on simulation, pulse optimization and real-time control.
• DeepMind’s open-source TORAX simulator, built in JAX, will run large-scale virtual experiments to refine operating plans before SPARC is turned on.
• Researchers plan to use reinforcement learning and evolutionary search to find robust paths to net fusion energy and to tune control strategies.
• Initial work includes developing AI methods to manage intense heat loads on plasma-facing materials, such as by magnetically sweeping exhaust energy.
• CFS says SPARC construction is roughly two-thirds complete with completion expected in 2026, while Google has invested in CFS and agreed to buy 200 MW from its future Arc plant near Richmond, with reporting noting potential data center power needs as a driver.