Princeton’s PACMAN AI can control fusion plasma in milliseconds and predict dangerous instabilities before they start.

In some fusion energy systems, particles can reach temperatures hotter than the center of the Sun. The challenge is keeping that extreme plasma under control, because disturbances can develop within just a few thousandths of a second, much faster than a person could respond.

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University have developed a new software framework that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make those rapid control decisions. The system is designed to respond at machine speed while maintaining strict safety protections and leaving the overall goals in human hands.