AI Insight
Researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and Princeton University have developed PACMAN, an artificial intelligence framework designed to control fusion energy systems by making critical decisions in milliseconds. The system addresses the challenge that particles in fusion reactors, which reach temperatures exceeding the sun's core, can become unstable within thousandths of a second—too fast for human operators to respond. PACMAN enables AI to handle split-second control decisions while maintaining safety protocols and keeping humans in charge of overall objectives.
Why it matters
This AI framework could be essential for making fusion energy practically viable by managing the extremely rapid plasma instabilities that occur in fusion reactors. The technology represents a critical step toward safe, automated control systems necessary for commercial fusion power plants, where human reaction times are insufficient to maintain stable operations.
Understand the Science
Inside some fusion energy systems, particles hotter than the core of the sun can become unruly in a few thousandths of a second, far faster than any human operator can react. A new software framework developed by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University hands those split-second decisions to artificial intelligence (AI), while keeping the machine safe and humans firmly in charge of the goals.
Source: PACMAN AI framework for controlling fusion systems safely makes key decisions in milliseconds