Of Interest archive

AI, high-performance computing and fusion: a report

A new report from the non-profit environmental organization Clean Air Task Force () explores how artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) are accelerating fusion energy development in key areas, including materials selection, high-temperature superconductors, inertial fusion energy, tritium breeding, and advanced diagnostics.

A Survey of Artificial Intelligence and High Performance Computing Applications to Fusion Commercialization was released as the COP29 climate conference was underway in Azerbaijan and introduced at the ��app booth on 15 November by Sehila Gonzalez de Vicente, CATF Global Director for Fusion Energy.

Key findings from the 119-page report include:

The arrival of new cloud-based computing tools and AI accelerates prospects for commercialized fusion energy
The new ecosystem for high-performance computing and AI will be critical in both how we deliver and use fusion energy
The fusion-tech nexus could deliver revolutionary results in materials science, control systems, and superconductors

From the report's Executive Summary: "Until recently, fusion's rate of progress was set by empirical science: building machines and testing ideas, generating datasets, and then choosing the next design based on empirical scaling. This manual design process could be a years-to-decades-long process. [...] Today, AI and HPC can speed up progress by doing much of the empirical scaling 'in silico.’ HPC-enabled “parameter sweeping,” or determining which design configurations are potentially viable, helps narrow down the nearly infinite range of possible machine parameters. [...] The speed at which these tools work can drastically reduce the time it takes for developers to move from initial exploration to a basic conceptual design suitable for further development. Furthermore, advancements in cloud-based HPC have democratized access to computational tools that were previously limited to dedicated supercomputers. This has broadened access to high-performance computing across the fusion ecosystem, enabling a diverse range of concepts, including less common fusion concepts, to take advantage of modern simulation tools to accelerate the investigation and optimization of their designs. [...] AI and HPC’s ability to change the design process itself could assist with bringing facilities online sooner."

the full report and executive summary.

the presentation of the report that was made at the ��app COP29 booth on 15 November.

19 Nov 2024

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