China Fusion Milestone: Domestic Superconducting Magnets
Chinese scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in fusion reactor technology, successfully completing and testing two critical superconducting magnet systems with components that are 100% domestically produced. The milestone, announced on June 27 by the Institute of Plasma Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Hefei, marks a significant step forward for China’s “artificial sun” fusion energy program and positions the country as a leading contender in the global race for viable nuclear fusion power.
The Breakthrough: Two Magnets, One Giant Leap
The centerpiece of the announcement is the Toroidal Field (TF) superconducting magnet — the world’s largest ever constructed for a fusion device. Shaped like the letter D, it measures 21 meters long, 12 meters wide, and 3.3 meters high, with a total weight of 582 tonnes. According to CCTV News, it is 1.3 times the volume of ITER’s equivalent magnets and stores three times more magnetic energy.
Concurrently, a high-temperature superconducting central solenoid coil successfully completed full-load operational testing, achieving stable operation at 60 kiloamperes with energy storage of 6.03 megajoules. Its rated operating current of 46.5 kA is over 4.6 times that of the existing EAST reactor’s central solenoid, as CGTN reported.
100% Domestic Production: A Strategic Achievement
Perhaps the most significant aspect of this breakthrough is that all core technologies — including special stainless steel, insulation materials, and superconducting materials — were developed and manufactured entirely within China, eliminating reliance on foreign supply chains.
“The special stainless steel, insulation materials, and superconducting materials we are using are all domestically produced, achieving 100% domestic production,” said Song Yuntao, Director of the Institute of Plasma Physics, CAS, as quoted by CCTV News.
The TF magnet alone required six years of dedicated design, research, and testing, resulting in 47 authorized patents and 14 established technical standards.
How It Works: The Science Behind the Magnet
The toroidal field magnet is a critical component of a tokamak fusion reactor. Its function, as explained by researcher Wu Yu, is to confine plasma — the superheated state of matter where fusion occurs — keeping it inside the vacuum chamber without touching the walls. The goal is to form a ring with 16 such coils, operating at 100 kiloamperes and generating a 6.5 Tesla magnetic field at the center.
The central solenoid coil plays an equally vital role. Deputy Director Qin Jinggang described it as “the magnet with the most complex operating conditions,” noting that its performance “directly determines whether our fusion device can ignite and maintain stability.”
Strategic Context: China’s Fusion Roadmap
This breakthrough is part of the Comprehensive Research Facility for Fusion Technology (CRAFT), a national research program in Hefei that bridges the gap between the existing Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) and the proposed China Fusion Engineering Test Reactor (CFETR). Nuclear fusion energy has been written into China’s “15th Five-Year Plan” (2026-2030) as a key future industry direction.
As China Daily Brief noted in its analysis, these milestones transition China’s fusion program from theoretical research toward large-scale industrial application. The focus on high-temperature superconductivity is particularly strategic — it allows for higher magnetic fields in smaller reactors, potentially lowering the cost and footprint of future fusion power plants.
Implications for the Global Fusion Race
While China remains a member of the ITER international fusion project involving 35 partner nations, its rapid domestic progress suggests a parallel strategy to achieve fusion viability on its own timeline. The CRAFT TF magnet’s superior specifications — 1.3 times larger in volume and three times the energy storage of ITER’s equivalent magnets — demonstrate China’s ability to exceed international benchmarks.
Mastering industrial-scale fabrication of these magnets gives China a potential first-mover advantage in the commercialization of fusion energy, a sector that would fundamentally reshape global energy geopolitics. By localizing core technologies, China has also reduced vulnerability to foreign supply chain disruptions amid ongoing technology competition with the United States and its allies.
What’s Next
Song Yuntao emphasized that the institute has accumulated nearly 40 years of experience in superconducting magnet technology, mastering a series of core technologies from low-temperature to high-temperature superconductivity. “This superconducting magnet is currently the most advanced in the world,” he said, “and will be a key core component for achieving fusion energy power generation and building fusion reactors in the future.”
Despite these advances, commercial fusion power remains years, if not decades, away. Significant engineering challenges remain in sustaining net-positive energy production, and the cost of scaling from component testing to full reactor operation is enormous. Nevertheless, this breakthrough represents a tangible step toward the dream of virtually limitless, carbon-free energy — and China has just taken a significant lead.