UK and US launch partnerships to accelerate nuclear fusion

The United Kingdom and the United States have entered into several agreements to accelerate the development of nuclear fusion energy. At a summit in London, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory announced a new supercomputing partnership that will utilize artificial intelligence to advance fusion research.

In addition to technical cooperation, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the University Fusion Association and a coalition of 16 UK universities, including the University of Manchester. This transatlantic academic partnership aims to build a skilled workforce and a diverse talent pipeline for the fusion sector over the next decade.

Energy Minister Michael Shanks stated that fusion technology has the potential to provide virtually limitless clean energy and could support more than 10,000 jobs in the UK by 2030. Supporting these efforts, Japan’s Kyoto Fusioneering has committed to investing up to £3 million in the UK’s Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project.