China’s Fusion Ambitions Rise with Milestone Test of ‘Artificial Sun’ Technology

This photo taken on Oct. 13, 2025 shows the one-eighth vacuum chamber of CRAFT (Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology), where the Divertor Prototype is installed inside, in Hefei, east China's Anhui Province. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)

China has achieved a major breakthrough in its quest to master next-generation “artificial sun” technology, marking a decisive step toward realizing clean and virtually limitless fusion energy. On Monday, experts announced that one of the system’s most critical components — the Divertor Prototype of the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT) — had successfully passed expert review and acceptance tests.'

Developed by the Institute of Plasma Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the Divertor Prototype is among the 19 core subsystems of the CRAFT project. This large-scale platform enables Chinese scientists and engineers to design, build, and test the essential technologies that will power future fusion reactors.

According to the research team, the achievement represents the world’s largest divertor prototype capable of withstanding the highest thermal loads ever achieved in a laboratory setting — a feat developed independently by China.

A Giant Leap in Fusion Engineering

During testing, the divertor demonstrated a steady-state thermal load capacity of 20 megawatts per square meter, a level of performance considered among the most challenging in fusion engineering. Its flat-plate design enables efficient heat dissipation while maintaining the tungsten surface temperature below the point of recrystallization — a critical threshold that ensures long-term structural stability and durability.

In a fusion reactor, the divertor plays a vital role in maintaining steady-state plasma operations. It acts as the “exhaust system” of the reactor, safely removing helium ash and impurities produced during the fusion process while managing the enormous heat generated in the plasma core. Its performance directly affects the reactor’s stability, efficiency, and operational lifespan.

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Innovative Coating Design

One of the most notable innovations in the CRAFT Divertor Prototype lies in its integrated mixed coating design. Researchers explained that this approach could theoretically increase the tritium breeding ratio by more than 3 percent, a critical advance toward achieving tritium self-sufficiency—a prerequisite for sustainable fusion energy production.

This success also signifies that China has reached full self-reliance in divertor research and development, establishing a comprehensive domestic capability that covers design, material preparation, manufacturing, and testing. The accomplishment lays a solid technical foundation for the engineering of future steady-state fusion reactors and other advanced energy systems.

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Broader Technological Potential

Beyond its role in fusion energy, the divertor’s underlying technologies hold promise for a range of high-performance applications. The same materials science, heat management, and plasma engineering techniques developed for CRAFT could be applied in aerospace, high-end medical equipment, industrial electronics, and new energy vehicles — sectors that also demand extreme heat resistance and energy efficiency.

Powering the Future

The long-term goal of China’s “artificial sun” initiative is to replicate the nuclear fusion process that powers the sun, fusing atomic nuclei to release immense amounts of clean energy. If achieved, this technology could provide humanity with a virtually inexhaustible and carbon-free energy source, transforming global energy systems and supporting deep-space exploration.

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China’s progress in fusion research continues to accelerate. Its Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has repeatedly set world records for plasma temperature and duration, demonstrating continuous improvement through cutting-edge upgrades. The success of the CRAFT Divertor Prototype now brings the vision of a working fusion reactor one step closer to reality.