This Chinese Nuclear Fusion Machine Just Made A Major Breakthrough

Chinese scientists claim to have made a major breakthrough in the development of sustainable fusion energy. The research group at the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) say they’ve heated plasma gas to over 50 million degrees celsius, almost three times the temperature of the sun’s core, for 102 seconds.

Just last week German scientists managed to heat hydrogen gas to 80 million degrees for a quarter of a second. The implications of the Chinese and German breakthroughs are massive. Sustained hydrogen plasma could potentially replace the need for nuclear fission and fossil fuels, creating a clean energy source powered by the same process that powers the sun.

The complicated process involves superheating hydrogen gas within a circular reactor while holding it away from the walls with high-powered magnets to create a plasma gas capable of emitting extreme heat energy.

What you get

Full access to all premium content and our full archives

Members'-only newsletters

Preferential access and discounts to all TechNode events

Direct access to the TechNode newsroom