International Computing

Developing international collaborations to help design and deliver the commercial fusion era.

Overview

Recent disruptive advances in Supercomputing, Artificial Intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML), and large-scale distributed big data and information management via the modern internet offer the potential to completely transform the design and validation of the complex systems, which will underpin future fusion power plants. This can be applied to many other adjacent sectors (aerospace, automotive, space etc.) too.

Although world renowned centres of excellence in the digital space (esp. Around AI and supercomputing) exist within the UK research and industrial ecosystem, they are unable to provide full coverage of the digital technology advances needed to achieve the necessary capabilities for delivering the world’s first commercial fusion power plants.

International collaboration is a cost-effective way to address gaps in UK capability whilst at the same time allowing the UK to democratise its own IP and innovation and help our international partners design and deliver the commercial fusion era. The intent of this programme is to develop this international collaboration. This effort falls broadly into three categories: national labs around the globe; UK universities, UK Public Sector Research Establishments (PSREs); and SMEs and industry.

Year one will focus primarily on pilot and existing collaborations.

Focusing the scope and output of collaborations to UK sector needs is key to maximising impact.  To achieve this aim, the collaborative projects will be focused on a series of application-focused use cases.  Such an approach will ensure the freedom of research discovery whilst ensuring that collaborative work is focused upon future application needs.

Timeframe and key milestones

2024 to 2025 financial year

Phase I: Pilot collaborations and existing collaboration growth

Phase I milestones were to:

  • establish collaboration agreements with all identified projects/key partners to (or appropriate alternatives if those identified are not possible)
  • agree scope and outputs of collaborations
  • deliver initial outputs
  • identify new phase II projects / key partners

2025 to 2026 financial year

Phase II: Scale out

Phase II milestones are:

  • deliver phase II outputs of collaborations funded in phase I
  • establish collaboration agreements with new phase II projects / key partners
  • deliver initial outputs of new phase II collaborators
  • identify new projects/key partners

2026 to 2028 financial years

Deliver and scale out further

This phase will:

  • establish collaboration agreements with new projects/key partners.
  • deliver outputs, demonstrating the value of investment in global collaborative research and development

Collaborations

We manage around one hundred collaborations at various scales and various levels of maturity (from small/embryonic to fully functioning at scale).  Our programmes are deeply intertwined with each other and across UKAEA programmes/divisions, forming a very effective mix of collaborations, skills development and technology delivery.

The proposed portfolio of international collaborative projects will be aligned to a broader programme of digital innovation and development across UKAEA and the wider UK ecosystem.  Projects will form an integral part of that wider programme, contributing key capabilities to accelerate development and improve affordability.

Objectives

  1. Ensure that the UK gains access to world-leading research into digital capabilities that can form an integral part of a broader programme of capability research and development needed to achieve UKAEA’s ambitions for fusion energy commercialisation.
  2. Establish a means by which the UK’s fusion research and industrial community will be able to influence the direction of international research into digital technologies as well as securing the opportunity to participate in development programmes.
  3. Provide a cost-effective way to gain access to emerging digital capabilities whilst accelerating the ability to deploy such technologies into fusion powerplant development processes here in the UK.
  4. Exploit strategic collaborations to drive knowledge and skills transfer into UK fusion and adjacent sectors.

Deliverables

  1. Deliver enhanced engineering simulation capabilities. Through the exploration and trial of available open-source tools we shall establish tested and validated means of simulating challenging aspects of a fusion machine. Of particular focus is ensuring that the delivered methodologies can be applied to a full-scale fusion machine and integrated into a digital twin model of a fusion machine.
  2. Deliver the ability to utilise exascale computing power to accelerate engineering simulations, materials modelling and to analyse operational data. Enabling the ability to create a real time digital twin of a fusion machine.
  3. Deliver enhanced materials modelling capabilities. The application of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and Exascale computing power for materials modelling shall be explored. Tools and methodology shall be delivered accelerating the fusion communities understanding of material operational performance.
  4. Deliver enhanced machine control techniques, enabling the utilisation of intelligent control systems equipped to respond quickly to accident scenarios.
  5. Deliver a fusion specific AI Foundation Model Architecture ready to be used as a means to enhance engineering simulations, materials modelling and machine control capabilities.
  6. Deliver a working digital twin of an existing experimental facility. Demonstrating the benefits of having a digital twin. Along with delivering documented processes and procedures to enable the creation of future digital twin models.
  7. The publication and presentation of key scientific and engineering enhancements in both fusion and related conferences and forums.

Get involved

External bodies – whether they are international organisations, private companies, research institutes, universities, or government agencies — could get involved in international fusion energy research through any of the following methods:

  • Open data and knowledge sharing: by sharing research data, participating in joint publications, and collaborating on simulation models.
  • Funding mechanisms and international grants: by contributing financially or receiving international funding to support fusion research.
  • Bilateral and multilateral commercial agreements: these agreements would enable external bodies participate in joint experiments, technology exchanges and workforce development. These agreements could also trigger partnership initiatives that would facilitate technology development, innovation and commercialisation.