US-backed project aims to predict SPARC fusion plasma in under 20 minutes

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  A US Department of Energy-backed project aims to predict a complete plasma pulse inside Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ SPARC reactor in under 20 minutes.

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  The project will build a digital twin combining physics simulations, experimental data and advanced computing.

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  The collaboration includes four DOE national laboratories, NVIDIA, Google DeepMind and university researchers.

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  Researchers plan to test and validate the digital twin workflows using PPPL’s NSTX-U before applying them to SPARC.

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  SPARC is under construction, and the proposed prediction speed and accuracy have not yet been demonstrated.

Who

Commonwealth Fusion Systems is leading the project with DOE national laboratories, technology companies and university researchers.

What

The team aims to develop a digital twin that predicts a complete SPARC plasma pulse in under 20 minutes.

When

The project is part of the Genesis Mission, which announced its Phase II awards on October 8. The publication date is October 12, 2026.

Where

The digital twin is intended for CFS’s SPARC fusion device; researchers will first test workflows using PPPL’s NSTX-U.

Why

To help researchers analyze experimental results and prepare adjustments between experiments, and to guide future reactor development.

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