Leveraging the Industrial Metaverse for Fusion Power Plant Design

Recent news coverage highlights that the science of fusion has been proven for a number of power generation concepts. The discipline is now undergoing a transition to the engineering phase, with plans to replace fusion reactors for scientific experiments with demonstrator power plants. Whilst supported by significant public and private investment, money alone is not enough. This is the biggest technological challenge we have ever faced and it will require a step change in digital engineering to realise in our lifetime. The fusion reaction itself requires achieving temperatures of hundreds of millions of degrees using fuel stored near absolute zero. The power plant needs to operate safely and reliably under these extremes. Furthermore, the selected materials systems must be able to withstand the high fluxes of neutrons released during the fusion reaction. The plant must of course also produce electricity at the right market price; satisfying regulators as well as the interests of other stakeholders. If we could integrate all engineering design tools across the sector, adopt AI-driven simulation and leverage Exascale computers, then we may be able to address these multiple factors by designing the whole device in-silico. In this presentation, we will explain how this could be achieved by embracing the Metaverse, an upgrade of the internet from text to 3D synthetic environments. Originally conceptualised for social media and entertainment, we will show how the Metaverse will enable us to bring fusion power to the grid, through the development of industrial cyber-physical systems.