In the search for clean and unlimited energy it could have taken a historic leap. In China, scientists achieved an impressive feat with the so-called artificial sun, a nuclear fusion reactor that promises to change the course of global research in sustainable energy.
More than a scientific record, the conquest of the East Tokamak, an experimental advanced superconductor, is seen as a milestone that brings humanity closer to the long-dreamed of practical nuclear fusion, also called HT7U, the Chinese artificial sun, began operations in 2006 and is managed by the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Chinese Academy of Science.
Unlike any other already built, it is the world's first non-circular, fully superconducting Tokamak, recently the team achieved steady-state operation in H mode, sustaining plasma at temperatures exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius for an incredible 1.06 seconds.
In January 2025, they went further, they maintained that condition for 17 minutes and 46 seconds, establishing a new world record. To understand the dimension of this advance, it is important to remember what a Tokamak is, it is a ring-shaped device that uses intense magnetic fields to contain plasma, a state of matter in which the atoms are so hot that the electrons separate from the nuclei.
It is in this extreme environment where nuclear fusion, the same process that powers our natural sun, can occur, the challenge is maintaining the stability of the plasma, temperatures that reach six times higher than the core of our sun.
The research involved not only the Energy Institute, but also universities, companies and Hefi's physical sciences institutes. The goal was, of course, to overcome the limitations of stable and long pulse operation in superconducting Tokamaks. The results not only confirmed that this is possible, but showed that such conditions become more unattainable in controlled environments every month.
What differentiates the East is its ability to maintain the plasma in high confinement, a condition known as mode H, which is essential to make fusion viable in practice. Through years of testing, the reactor provided valuable experimental data, helping to overcome technical and structural obstacles.
The proof that plasma can be confined for so long at such extreme temperatures changes the scale of research, which goes from simple scientific exploration to concrete engineering applications. This leap opens the way for the development of nuclear fusion plants that could theoretically provide almost inexhaustible energy without the radioactive waste problems of current fission plants.
The Chinese artificial sun is just an experiment, it is a real vision of the planet's energy future. Could it be that we are facing the beginning of a new era in which the energy that moves the sun will also be able to move our cities? By once and for all transforming humanity's relationship with the planet's resources, the next experiments will tell.
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