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What technologies will Europe need to master to build the fusion power plants of the future? The European Domestic Agency, Fusion for Energy (F4E), has brought together hundreds of European experts to map out the current state of play in critical areas, identifying gaps, and highlighting opportunities for future research and investment.

Since early 2025, through a series of technical workshops, eight technical areas have been examined and the following reports have now been published:

Fusion Fuel Cycle ()
Magnets ()
Additive Manufacturing ()
Metrology and Reverse Engineering ()
Artificial Intelligence in Fusion ()
Plasma-Facing Components, Technology and Manufacturing ()

The workshops are creating new connections across Europe’s fusion community, as they bring together academia, research centres, industry, SMEs, start-ups and other Big Science projects. The resulting reports are a shared reference for the fusion ecosystem, charting where Europe is strongest, where there are vulnerabilities (such as supply bottlenecks or external dependence), and where investments can have the greatest impact.

The workshops are linked to F4E’s Technology Development Programme ().

The 34th Symposium on Fusion Technology () opened today in Aix-en-Provence, France, just one hour from the �����ƽ�� site.

Organized by the Institute for Magnetic Fusion Research (IRFM), home to the WEST tokamak and part of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA), the five-day conference brings together scientists, engineers, industry representatives, and exhibitors to share the latest results and breakthroughs across all areas of fusion technology.

�����ƽ�� Director-General Pietro Barabaschi delivered one of two opening plenaries, sharing an update on �����ƽ��’s progress. The �����ƽ�� Newsline will have a full report next week.

The Third High-level Meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) World Fusion Energy Group will be convened on 12 November 2026 at IAEA Headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Recent scientific and technological advances in fusion research have heightened interest among policymakers, scientists, investors, and the public, making the faster pursuit of fusion energy a crucial area of focus. The IAEA World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG) is the concrete manifestation of this ambition. 

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced the meeting to the 70th Regular Session of the IAEA General Conference. "Fusion energy has been a part of the IAEA’s portfolio since the very beginning, with scientists using our conferences and publications to demonstrate their most important breakthroughs. This continues to be the case. But fusion has made strides; is gathering momentum and a new group of stakeholders will be crucial to its next phase. They will be gathering at our third high-level meeting of the World Fusion Energy Group (WFEG), here in Vienna in November, helping to accelerate research, development, demonstration, and deployment of a source that takes its inspiration from our most important star."

The inaugural World Fusion Energy Group meeting took place in 2024 in Rome; a second opened jointly with the 30th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in Chengdu, China, in 2025.

Under a new agreement signed in June 2026, �����ƽ�� and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) have launched a joint postdoctoral training program that will give early-career researchers the opportunity to conduct fusion research at both institutions under the supervision of experts from China and �����ƽ��. 

ASIPP will be creating a series of postdoctoral positions focused on research topics of mutual interest to the �����ƽ�� Organization and ASIPP. The selected researchers will be employed by ASIPP and jointly supervised by experts from both organizations. The positions are offered for a two-year term, with research carried out both at �����ƽ�� and at ASIPP headquarters. 

These postdoctoral positions are now open to application by Chinese nationals and nationals of other �����ƽ�� Members. Further information, including application details, is available in Chinese and English .

French YouTuber recently visited �����ƽ�� for a video exploring three of France’s most “off-limit” locations, alongside secret areas of the Eiffel Tower and the French presidential plane. Filmed earlier this year, the visit included a tour of the Assembly Hall with project engineer Raphael Tieulent and the tokamak pit with assembly facility coordinator Isabelle Gentili.

The video attracted more than two million views within its first 24 hours online and has since surpassed four million views.

Drawing a parallel between the Eiffel Tower and �����ƽ��, Amixem remarked: “[The tower] was a kind of technological demonstration, a way of saying to the world: look at what we can do in our time. And I think �����ƽ�� is exactly the same.”

Amixem, whose real name is Maxime Chabroud, launched his YouTube channel in 2012 and today has around 9.5 million subscribers. According to vidIQ, his videos have generated more than 4.5 billion views. While he first gained popularity through gaming content, his channel has since expanded to include humour, challenges, travel, experiments, and large-scale documentary-style productions.

The full video is available at: . The video is in French and includes English subtitles as well as an automatically dubbed English audio track.

The 16th �����ƽ�� International School on the topic of "Tokamaks as Fusion Reactors" will take place from 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026. The school is jointly organized by Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Bhat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and The International Center for Theoretical Sciences – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (ICTS-TIFR), Bengaluru, in collaboration with �����ƽ�� Organization and Aix Marseille University, France. The school will be hosted at ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru. 

The �����ƽ�� International School aims to prepare young scientists and engineers for working in the field of nuclear fusion and in research applications associated with the �����ƽ�� project. The 16th edition will cover a broad range of topics related to tokamak fusion reactors’ physics and technologies, such as plasma confinement, heat and particle exhaust, integrated control and operation, integrated modelling and digital twins, plasma-materials interaction, superconducting magnets technology, neutron shielding, and tritium breeding. 

Registration has been extended through 3 September. For all information . 

The Joint European Torus () operated for 40 years before entering decommissioning in 2023. It was the last tokamak capable of operating with deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuel until devices like �����ƽ�� begin their own D-T research, which makes the datasets generated in JET’s final campaigns effectively irreplaceable. 

The outcome of its final experiments between 2022 and 2023 was presented as an Overview contribution to the last IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in Chengdu and was recently  in Nuclear Fusion. These results are already validating predictive models, contributing to shared international databases, and informing the design of first-of-a-kind fusion power plants. 

The results speak for themselves. JET set a new fusion energy record of 69 MJ in tritium-rich hybrid plasmas and achieved long-pulse H-mode operation up to 60 seconds. The team also demonstrated �����ƽ��-relevant integrated scenarios and generated critical data informing the pellet injection mechanisms for �����ƽ��’s disruption mitigation system. JET’s comprehensive fuel-retention studies will also act as a precedent for how �����ƽ�� may track and manage its tritium inventory.

Beyond the physics, JET’s final years leave behind decades of operational experience in handling tritium and nuclear-grade components will directly shape how �����ƽ�� and future power plants are safely operated.

JET’s results are further described in an  published by EUROfusion and in the newly published .

The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has announced the completion of the fifth experimental campaign on , the world’s largest operating spherical tokamak. Notable campaign results included achieving its highest-pressure plasma to date and overcoming plasma instability issues through innovative plasma control and heat-exhaust methods. These results will inform the design and operation of both �����ƽ�� and STEP, the UK’s prototype fusion power plant project.

The experiments suppressed ELMs—bursts of energy released at the plasma edge that can cause a loss of pressure and deposit extreme thermal loads on plasma-facing components—to record the highest pressure ever stably achieved in the machine.

The MAST Upgrade team also developed a novel plasma control technique wherein they determined the plasma’s position by measuring visible light produced by deuterium leaving the upper and lower outer divertors. This is important progress for the automated, real-time control systems that future power plants will need for operations.

“The results genuinely shape the design of future fusion power plants,” said James Harrison, Head of MAST Upgrade Science at UKAEA. “Accessing four stable high-performance plasma regimes, including QH-mode, QCE and I-mode and our world-first plasma position control technique, demonstrates that MAST Upgrade is producing science at the leading edge of what is possible.”

Experiments will now pause as MAST Upgrade undergoes further enhancements, including the installation of two new neutral beam injectors and an electron Bernstein wave (EBW) system like the one planned for STEP. A sixth series of experiments focused on STEP-relevant research is planned for 2028.

For more information about MAST Upgrade’s fifth campaign, see the  and  published by the UKAEA.

Matthew Hole—plasma physics expert at the Australian National University and �����ƽ�� Scientist Fellow—recently developed a mathematical model to solve a problem confronting �����ƽ�� engineers.

�����ƽ�� will have roughly 500 magnetic sensors embedded in and around the plasma-facing first wall. During manufacturing, installation, connecting, and commissioning, there is a risk that sensor channels may be swapped, a cable may be mislabelled, or the polarity of a sensor may be reversed. Although the locations of the magnetic sensors are known, �����ƽ�� teams must still verify that each recorded data channel corresponds to the correct sensor and polarity after installation and connection of hundreds of cables.

This labelling of 500 sensors was an extremely labour-intensive task. “I wanted to find a way to do it faster,” says Hole.

During his three-month fellowship at �����ƽ��, Hole combined mathematics, physics, and computing to model the magnetic-field response of every coil and frame the puzzle as a mathematical search problem. AI-assisted coding tools identified the class of problem and suggested an unexpected technique called the Hungarian optimisation algorithm. 

This enabled Hole to program a model delivering the coil positions and orientations in a tiny fraction of the previously allocated time. His model is also replicable, meaning �����ƽ�� engineers can rerun it if a coil ever becomes misaligned.

“AI can’t replace the scientist’s curiosity or intuition,” says Matthew, “but it can explore scientific threads much more quickly. It’s like having tireless expert companions, across all fields, always available that can help you advance more rapidly.”

The work is described in an published by the Australian National University and in a newly published .

WEST has concluded its three-month C13 campaign with a milestone: producing its first H-mode plasmas with Edge Localized Modes (ELMs). 

H-mode is the high-confinement regime that �����ƽ�� will use to achieve several of its research goals, and it is characterized by ELMs—bursts of energy and particles released at the plasma edge that deposit extreme thermal loads on plasma-facing components.

Achieving this regime on WEST provides a unique opportunity to investigate plasma-wall interactions closer to foreseen �����ƽ�� conditions and opens the route to one of the pillars of the WEST scientific program: testing the �����ƽ�� divertor components against transient heat fluxes during long time periods and in a similar tungsten environment. 

Beyond plasma performance, the C13 campaign yielded operational insights like the minimum wall boronization needed to restart after a venting, the use of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) for wall conditioning between pulses, and the use of ICRH for boronization. 

These results will contribute to the preparation of �����ƽ��-relevant plasma scenarios, the development of predictive models, and the validation of the �����ƽ�� divertor’s performance.

Read more about WEST’s C13 campaign .

The �����ƽ�� Organization and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) are launching a joint postdoctoral training program. 

ASIPP will employ early-career researchers, who will be jointly supervised by experts from both institutions. The two-year positions will focus on topics of shared interests and involve conducting research at both �����ƽ�� and ASIPP headquarters.

Applications are now open to candidates from China and other �����ƽ�� Member countries. Read �����ƽ��’s announcement or visit the  for further details about the program and its application process.

The 16th �����ƽ�� International School on the topic of "Tokamaks as Fusion Reactors" will be held from 30 November 2026 to 4 December 2026. The school is jointly organized by Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Bhat, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and The International Center for Theoretical Sciences – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (ICTS-TIFR), Bengaluru, in collaboration with �����ƽ�� Organization and Aix Marseille University, France. The school will be hosted at ICTS-TIFR, Bengaluru. 

The �����ƽ�� International School aims to prepare young scientists and engineers for working in the field of nuclear fusion and in research applications associated with the �����ƽ�� project. The 16th edition will cover a broad range of topics related to tokamak fusion reactors’ physics and technologies, such as plasma confinement, heat and particle exhaust, integrated control and operation, integrated modelling and digital twins, plasma-materials interaction, superconducting magnets technology, neutron shielding, and tritium breeding. 

Registration is open from 25 July to 23 August. For all information . 

Fusion for Energy (F4E) has released the first Global Fusion Energy Trends report, which examines the fusion ecosystems of five key players: the European Union, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

The study reports a total of EUR 20.35 billion dedicated to fusion by the actors between 2022 and 2025, with public finance representing 78% of investments. Of the five, the US and China led spending but used different models—with the US leading in private investment and China heavily investing in state-controlled commercial entities.

The report cited 83 operating, under-construction, and planned fusion devices in the actors’ combined pipeline, 42 of which are active. Although no operating facility has yet reached plant-relevant plasma conditions, it names �����ƽ��, SPARC, BEST, and JT-60SA as opportunities to close the gap.

Also compared were the parties’ scientific outputs and research impacts. The paper indicates that the US and EU have the highest volume of fusion-relevant scientific publications and accumulated citations in the 1950-2026 period. However, China’s scientific output has accelerated in the past 20 years, and the country also holds over half of the 2,210 total fusion patents filed by the five parties.

Download the full report .

Since 2007, the European Domestic Agency Fusion for Energy (F4E) has helped to build Europe’s fusion supply chain, working with more than 3,000 companies from 23 countries. To recognize the companies building Europe’s fusion future, F4E is launching its first Supply Chain Excellence Awards.

“In an environment as demanding as fusion, excellence becomes the standard,” says Kristel Tans, F4E’s Head of Project Control, Supply Chain, and Finance. “Through this recognition, we aim to boost the reputation of our suppliers, provide greater confidence to the European ecosystem, and inspire new entrants.”

The awards will comprise five categories: Excellence in Delivery, Innovation Pioneer, Sustainability Champion, SME Rising Star, and Collaborative Partnership. Applications are open to firms of any size that have worked for F4E (as a contractor, subcontractor, or technology/development partner).

All applications will be evaluated by a panel of primarily external experts against a published set of criteria before the awards ceremony at the in Maastricht on 27-30 October 2026.

The application deadline is 15 September 2026. See further details about the awards and how to apply .

The 2026 Global Fusion Industry Report from the identifies an important new driver for fusion investment and development: the soaring energy demands of artificial intelligence.

“This is a business problem as well as a political problem, as energy consumers around the world are feeling the cost of rising energy prices every day,” writes Andrew Holland, the CEO of the Fusion Industry Association. “Fusion will be the solution. Its approach of turning abundant, energy dense fuel into power, without carbon emissions, make it the only source of energy that will be able to scale up to meet constantly growing demand. Even though it cannot deliver today, the demand from the market is bringing fusion forward.”

The report states that $4.5 billion was invested in private-sector fusion companies in 2026, bringing total industry funding to $14.25 billion. The fusion workforce now numbers more than 16,000 employees.

The report also notes that governments are embracing new fusion strategies, while public-private partnerships are providing valuable opportunities for knowledge sharing.

Download the full report .

The Fusion Industry Association (FIA) released its 2026 Supply Chain Report. The annual report surveyed 25 private fusion companies and 67 suppliers to find a 24% spending increase among respondents, from USD 434 million in 2024 to USD 538 million in 2025. The FIA projects supply chain spending to grow by another 27% this year.

“We see signs of the ‘chicken and egg’ gridlock raised in previous reports easing, as supplier relationships improve and new and existing suppliers invest in scaling up capacity to meet the sector’s growing needs,” said FIA CEO Andrew Holland. 

Over the past year, 70% of surveyed suppliers increased their business with fusion companies and 75% made investments (in people, training, equipment, infrastructure, and manufacturing capability) ranging from USD 30,000 to USD 65 million to grow their capacity to support fusion. 

However, challenges remain. Only a quarter (26%) of the fusion company respondents found existing suppliers to be successfully scaling their capacity. Namely, nearly half of respondents currently face constraints related to heat management technologies (44%) and power systems and components (48%). Likewise, many cite first-wall materials (40%) and fuel cycle systems (48%) as future bottlenecks. 

“Building that capability and capacity will need a truly collaborative effort between policymakers, investors, the supply chain and fusion companies,” said Holland.

The report can be downloaded from the FIA website .

EUROfusion has opened applications for its 2027 Engineering Grants program, supporting the education and development of a new generation of fusion engineers. These two-year grants are aimed at young engineers with a Master's and/or PhD degree working in or entering the EUROfusion program. Around 14 grants are expected to be awarded.

The grants support career development in key competency areas for fusion and are awarded based on the excellence of the candidates. The eligibility rules allow applicants who completed their MSc degree between 1 June 2020 and 15 September 2026, and candidates may complete their PhD during the grant period.

The application deadline is 17 July 2026. See further details about the program and how to apply .
 

The paper "Overview of the WEST contributions to the new �����ƽ�� baseline and fusion power plants," presented at the IAEA Fusion Energy Conference in October 2025 (FEC 2025), has been published in the international journal Nuclear Fusion.

From the introduction: "In the context of the new �����ƽ�� baseline, the WEST programme has recently increased its efforts in supporting the goal of a robust start of the �����ƽ�� scientific exploitation. The WEST super-conducting tokamak is a full tungsten wall long pulse device equipped with an actively cooled �����ƽ�� grade divertor. As such, it is ideally placed to address scientific and operational issues relevant to next step devices running long pulses in a full tungsten (W) environment. For this purpose, WEST has developed reliable, routine and controlled long pulse regimes with durations now reaching 1337s with the divertor actively cooled components."

"This paper reports on the key achievements of the past two years, namely: i) the making of long pulse discharges in WEST ii) the impact of high heat and particle flux on �����ƽ�� grade plasma facing units (PFUs) iii) the plasma start-up in a full tungsten environment and the conditioning by Glow Discharge Boronization (GDB) mimicking the �����ƽ�� set-up, iv) the progress in the X-point Radiator (XPR) controlled cold divertor plasma regime, and v) the WEST contribution to �����ƽ�� key issues such as run-away mitigation and fuel retention. This paper will also present the future machine capabilities."

The accepted version of the article is available .
 

On June 9, the US Department of Energy (DOE) the final version of its Fusion Science and Technology (S&T) Roadmap, outlining a coordinated strategy to accelerate commercial fusion deployment. Building on earlier roadmap efforts, the finalized roadmap brings together fusion science, technology, infrastructure, workforce development, and commercialization priorities into a single national strategy to support fusion pilot plants and commercial fusion power in the mid-2030s.

Developed with input from more than 800 scientists and engineers across the public and private sectors, the Roadmap reflects contributions from private companies, national laboratories, and more than 70 universities. It identifies the critical science and technology gaps that must be closed to realize fusion pilot plants and lists the three drivers that underpin the unified national strategy:

• Building critical infrastructure to close fusion materials and technology gaps.
• Innovating through advanced research, high-performance computing, and artificial intelligence.
• Growing the US fusion ecosystem through public-private partnerships, supply chain development, workforce growth, and commercialization pathways.

The National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology (QST) of Japan are organizing an onsite training week from 14 to 18 September 2026 in advance of the OP2 operational campaign on the JT-60SA tokamak. Participation in this training is necessary for those interested in participating in JT-60SA control room or operator roles as trainees during this campaign.

The training week will feature lectures about different aspects of operation such as the characteristics of magnets and sub-systems, plasma initiation, real-time control implementation, control room roles and decision flow, experiment implementation, diagnostics, and management. Practical lectures on the use of the human-machine interface (HMI)—the tool used at JT-60SA to prepare for discharges—are also planned.

The call for participation is addressed to members of European scientific institutions/universities involved in EURATOM or members of the Japanese fusion research program and agreed collaborators. Applications from other researchers may be considered on an individual basis depending on their institution’s agreement with the JT-60SA project. Participants must have previous experience in some aspects of operation (diagnostics or sub-system operations, operations leader, session leader).

The deadline to apply is 3 July 2026.