China has completed two critical superconducting components for its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), commonly known as the country’s “artificial sun,” marking a major milestone in its nuclear fusion research program.
According to the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP), the newly developed components successfully passed full-parameter testing and expert evaluation. They include a D-shaped superconducting toroidal field magnet measuring 21 meters long, 12 meters wide and weighing 582 tons, making it the largest superconducting magnet ever built for a fusion reactor.
Researchers said the magnet generates an intense magnetic field capable of confining plasma at temperatures of around 100 million degrees inside the reactor’s vacuum chamber. A superconducting coil described as the system’s “energy heart” also passed performance tests, achieving internationally recognized benchmarks for stored energy, magnetic field ramp-up speed and connection resistance.
ASIPP Director Song Yuntao said the project demonstrates China’s technological self-sufficiency, noting that every stage of development, from superconducting materials to precision manufacturing, was completed domestically. The six-year project has resulted in 47 authorized patents and 25 industry standards.
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According to the project’s roadmap, the compact experimental fusion device is expected to be completed by the end of 2027, while fusion-based electricity generation is targeted for around 2030. Researchers say the successful testing of the superconducting magnets represents about 80% of the engineering work, with full system assembly and long-duration operational testing still to come.
