The UK and United States have agreed a major new partnership combining artificial intelligence, advanced computing and fusion research as ministers seek to accelerate commercial fusion energy and support more than 10,000 British jobs by 2030.
The agreements were announced at the Global Fusion Policy Summit in London, where the countries also committed to closer cooperation on fusion regulation.
UK and US link fusion supercomputers
The UK Atomic Energy Authority and the US Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to explore creating the SUNRISE–STELLAR-AI Federation.
The proposed system would link Britain's SUNRISE AI supercomputer with America's STELLAR-AI platform, enabling researchers to train artificial intelligence models using results from fusion experiments in both countries.
The collaboration will draw on UKAEA's MAST Upgrade facility in Oxfordshire and PPPL's NSTX-U facility in New Jersey. The partners say combining experimental data, simulation and computing power could shorten the design cycle for future fusion power plants.
AI to help design future fusion plants
Researchers intend to explore increasingly sophisticated digital twins — virtual representations of fusion machines that can be used to test designs and predict behaviour before changes are made to physical equipment.
The longer-term ambition includes shared AI models capable of learning from multiple fusion facilities rather than relying on data from a single machine.
Governments agree closer regulation
Alongside the computing partnership, the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and US Department of Energy issued a joint statement committing the countries to closer cooperation on fusion regulation.
They said greater international alignment would provide more certainty for developers and investors, committing to proportionate, risk-informed regulation, closer regulator-to-regulator cooperation and work through international standards bodies.
Government targets more than 10,000 UK jobs
The Government says fusion could support more than 10,000 jobs across the UK by 2030. Britain's fusion programme is backed by £2.5 billion of Government investment over five years.
Energy Minister Michael Shanks said fusion had the potential to provide virtually limitless clean energy while creating thousands of jobs and major opportunities for British businesses.
£45m British fusion AI supercomputer
SUNRISE is the UK's first AI supercomputer dedicated to fusion energy and is backed by £45 million of Government funding. It forms part of the AI Growth Zone at UKAEA's Culham Campus, where the Government is investing £125 million.
A further £2.63 million collaboration involving the University of Birmingham, the Electric Power Research Institute and industry partners will work on materials for future fusion reactors.
STEP prototype targeted for 2040
The UK's Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production programme, known as STEP, aims to deliver a prototype fusion power plant by 2040 at West Burton in Nottinghamshire.
The Government has also published an overview of the regulatory landscape for fusion facilities in England and Wales, while the Environment Agency and Health and Safety Executive have introduced an early-engagement process for developers.
Fusion remains an emerging technology
Fusion seeks to reproduce the process that powers the Sun by combining light atomic nuclei and releasing energy. Advocates believe it could eventually provide a secure source of low-carbon electricity.
Commercial fusion electricity has not yet been achieved at scale and substantial scientific and engineering challenges remain. The UK-US agreements therefore do not represent the arrival of commercial fusion power, but are intended to accelerate research, coordinate regulation and reduce barriers to future deployment.