DeepMind AI Targets 2027 Net Energy Goal for Commonwealth Fusion Systems' SPARC Reactor

Google DeepMind has formally partnered with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to accelerate the development of fusion energy, leveraging advanced artificial intelligence to optimize plasma control and simulation. This collaboration aims to bring clean, limitless fusion power closer to commercial reality, with a key focus on CFS's SPARC reactor achieving net-positive fusion energy by late 2026 or early 2027. The announcement formalizes joint work that has been underway for several years, building on Google's prior investments in the fusion energy leader.

A central component of the partnership involves DeepMind's open-source plasma simulator, TORAX, which will be used to run millions of virtual experiments for CFS's SPARC tokamak in Devens, Massachusetts. This software, built in JAX, allows for fast, accurate, and differentiable simulations of fusion plasma, enabling CFS to test and refine operating plans before SPARC is even activated. Devon Battaglia, senior manager of physics operations at CFS, noted that TORAX has "saved us countless hours in setting up and running our simulation environments for SPARC."

The collaboration also extends to employing reinforcement learning and evolutionary search approaches to discover novel real-time control strategies for SPARC. These AI agents will explore vast numbers of potential operating scenarios to identify the most efficient paths to maximizing fusion energy output and managing heat loads. Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard emphasized the broader significance, stating, "Everyone talks about how much energy AI is going to use, but AI can actually help the energy equation on the supply side too."

This research partnership follows Google's significant financial interest in CFS, including participation in a 2021 funding round and a 200 MW power purchase agreement for CFS's future ARC commercial fusion power plant. The ARC plant, projected to enter operation in the early 2030s in Chesterfield County, Virginia, underscores Google's strategic commitment to securing clean energy sources for its energy-intensive AI operations. The integration of AI expertise with CFS’s hardware is designed to advance foundational discoveries and accelerate the timeline for delivering fusion energy to the grid.