A new observation by U.S. satellites has found that China is building a huge, star-shaped nuclear fusion facility, which has sparked worldwide interest and worry. The futuristic complex features four vast arms converging on a central chamber, reportedly designed to host high-powered laser arrays aimed at achieving inertial confinement fusion—a process that mimics the sun’s energy generation.
The scale of China’s project is what makes it different from others. The central chamber is twice as large as the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF), which was in the news in 2022 for reaching the first net-energy fusion reaction. It appears that Beijing is making a major and well-funded effort to guide the next wave of global energy innovation.
Fusion energy, which has long been seen as the ultimate clean power, could provide unlimited energy with little effect on the environment. At the same time, experts point out that this technology can be used for both good and bad purposes. Because fusion research can simulate the effects of nuclear explosions, it is linked to nuclear weapons development, which may help China upgrade its nuclear weapons without breaking any nuclear test bans.
William Alberque from the Henry L. Stimson Center points out that such technologies could be used to develop weapons in secret. Even though China has only about 400 nuclear warheads while America has 5,500, a major advance in fusion-based simulation technology could reduce the difference quickly.
Even so, some experts advise being careful. Siegfried Hecker, who was director of Los Alamos, believes China’s lack of nuclear testing could limit the benefits it gets from these simulations. Yet, as the U.S. and China fight a tech cold war in AI, semiconductors, and now nuclear fusion, the Mianyang facility could be both a chance and a risk. As people consider the effects, a main question arises: will this lead to a cleaner future or create more uncertainty? The outcome could shape global power relationships for a long time.
