[Source/Observer Network Ruan Jiaqi]
The field of artificial intelligence is not the only battlefield for the rivalry between China and the US. The development of nuclear fusion technology, which is seen as the "Holy Grail" of clean energy, has also become a focal point for competition between these two superpowers. American leaders in the tech industry are increasingly concerned that China may rapidly outpace them in this field, putting the US at a disadvantage.
According to a report on the Seattle-based technology news website "GeekWire" on April 4, multiple American commercial nuclear fusion technology companies expressed concerns about China's significant investment strategy in this field at the Technology Alliance meeting held in Seattle on Tuesday.
At the fusion summit forum, Ben Levitt, the research director of American company Zap Energy, complained, "The US is insufficiently investing in nuclear fusion research, while China's scale of investment far exceeds ours by several orders of magnitude."
He added, "Initially, the US was ahead in the field of nuclear fusion, but we have botched our hand. So yes, we are indeed at a disadvantage now."
It is worth noting that in 2023, the US Department of Energy approved funding of $46 million for eight nuclear fusion companies, including Zap Energy, to develop pilot plants for nuclear fusion power generation. These selected companies are required to demonstrate their conceptual designs for fusion power plants and outline their technological roadmaps by the end of 2025.
In January this year, the US Department of Energy announced that at least three companies had completed five research projects. However, Zap Energy is still in its early stages of work.
Ben Levitt, the research director of Zap Energy. Conference website
Reportedly, members of the discussion panel included Brian Riordan, co-founder and COO of Avalanche Energy, and Anthony Pancotti, co-founder and research director of Helion Energy.
In the discussion, Riordan claimed that despite China's significant progress in the competition, the key to victory lies in who can first develop the most cost-effective technology.
Pancotti followed the smear tactics of the company founder David Kirtley. According to US media reports, Helion rarely publishes research results, and Kirtley is referred to as a "confidential fanatic," often spreading business espionage theories at internal meetings. He once insinuated Chinese counterparts before Congress, claiming that China was manufacturing a machine that "looked like Helion's prototype released in 2014."
Pancotti took a similar approach. At the meeting, he claimed, "We have seen imitators from China, which is concerning. Their scale of human resources and financial investment even exceeds the capabilities of American venture capital. Therefore, I believe this raises dual concerns regarding technological security and supply chain risks."
Levitt echoed, "If China were to dedicate an entire city to developing each of our (nuclear fusion) concepts, I wouldn't be surprised at all."
Fusion energy seminar at the Seattle Investor Summit, from left to right: Pancotti, Riordan, Levitt, and host from GeekWire. GeekWire
Nuclear fusion is the source of the sun's energy and is hailed as the "artificial sun" for controllable nuclear fusion technology, which is expected to provide nearly infinite clean energy for humanity, helping us摆脱 dependence on fossil fuels.
According to GeekWire reports, during the Biden administration, the US government invested approximately $800 million annually in the field of nuclear fusion, while China invested more than twice that amount annually.
On May 23 local time, Trump signed a series of executive orders related to nuclear energy, involving comprehensive reform of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, revising regulatory processes to accelerate nuclear reactor testing, etc. A senior White House official stated that the government aims to "test and deploy" new nuclear reactors before the end of Trump's second term in January 2029.
However, US media pointed out that although the Trump administration supported nuclear fission technology for existing nuclear power plants, it did not show the same interest in nuclear fusion, leaving the field increasingly dependent on venture capital to drive development. Additionally, while China was cultivating talent in nuclear fusion, the Trump administration cut research funding, casting a shadow over the future of US nuclear fusion development.
US media CNN reported last year that although the US was one of the earliest countries to attempt nuclear fusion power generation research, China's pace was clearly accelerating. The report cited industry data indicating that since 2015, China's number of nuclear fusion patents has surged and surpassed those of other countries globally.
The report also mentioned that Chinese enterprises built the world's first fully high-temperature superconducting tokamak device. Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association based in Washington, candidly admitted that compared to the US, tokamak devices in the US are aging and reliant on equipment from Japan, Europe, and UK allies for research advancement.
"We don't have such facilities. The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory has been upgrading its tokamak for ten years. Another tokamak device in operation in the US is 30 years old. National laboratories in the US do not have modern fusion facilities." he said.
Meanwhile, according to the China Energy News, China's controllable nuclear fusion technology commercial deployment has pressed the "fast-forward" button this year. In March, the first roof slab of the Compact Fusion Energy Experimental Device Park (BEST) was successfully poured, marking the comprehensive entry into the phased completion and delivery phase; in May, BEST began total assembly in Hefei, Anhui Province, two months ahead of schedule, with plans to be completed by 2027 and generate electricity by 2030.
Construction of the compact fusion energy experimental facility (BEST) park is progressing rapidly in Hefei Future Grand Science City, Anhui Province. Visual China
BEST will build on the foundation of the first-generation artificial sun EAST device to achieve the first demonstration of fusion energy generation, promoting research in burning plasma physics and providing pioneering support for China's fusion energy development. The core goal of BEST is to achieve stable operation of deuterium-tritium burning plasma and demonstrate power generation for the first time, filling the engineering gap between "experimental reactors" and "demonstration reactors." Everbright Securities noted that the start of BEST marks a new phase in China's technical breakthroughs and engineering applications in controllable nuclear fusion.
Meanwhile, the US controllable nuclear fusion technology startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems has also started construction of its fusion power prototype SPARC in a suburban industrial park near Boston, with the aim of building the US's first commercial controllable nuclear fusion power facility.
On April 25, Li Jiangang, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, vice president of the Chinese Physical Society, and overall commander of the national large-scale scientific project "Comprehensive Research Facility for Key Systems of Fusion Reactor Host," revealed that it is expected that the compact fusion energy experimental device will be completed by 2027. The Chinese Fusion Engineering Demonstration Reactor (CFEDR) has already initiated its design plan, aiming to build the world's first fusion demonstration power station.
"The next decade is a critical window for the development and promotion of small modular reactors (referred to as 'small reactors')." Experts in nuclear energy planning, research and design, engineering management, and nuclear safety introduced, "Small reactors and fusion reactors are both current hotspots for research and investment."
Tian Jiashu believes that the former combines the maturity of third-generation reactors with the innovation of fourth-generation reactors, making it a strategically contested area for the next ten to twenty years. However, it still needs to reduce costs through standardized design and mass production to prove its competitiveness compared to large reactors; the latter still needs to address issues related to materials, costs, and engineering. He estimates that within the next twenty years, experimental and demonstration reactors may be completed, and market acceptance will be explored in the commercial reactor stage. Ultimately, both will jointly lead the green transformation of global energy.
This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7512368107218878985/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and welcome your feedback in the buttons below to express your opinion.