Humanity’s thirst for ultimate energy, like Prometheus’s undying flame, has driven generation after generation of scientists to push toward the summit of nuclear fusion.

In this great undertaking that concerns humanity’s future, two cities — each in its own way — have stepped into the global spotlight.

Hefei’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) has repeatedly broken world records, steadily extending billion‑degree plasma operation toward the kilosecond range and steadily turning the "perpetual fifty years" into reality. Chengdu’s next‑generation artificial sun, "China's HL‑3" (HL‑3), has achieved double‑hundred‑million‑degree operation and, by developing key components for the international ITER program, has put “Made in Chengdu” on the world stage.

Hefei and Chengdu — one in the east, one in the west — drink from the same river and together uphold humanity’s dream of “ultimate energy.”

Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST)

Policy as guide: mapping out the "Chasing the Sun" blueprint

In the long and arduous marathon of fusion energy, the steadiness and foresight of policy determine how far one can go.

The rise of Hefei and Chengdu stems from the forward‑looking strategic planning of their provinces; with a "ten‑year honing a sword" persistence, they have provided the firmest institutional support for this endeavor that could change humanity’s destiny.

Hefei’s engagement in controlled nuclear fusion represents a commitment spanning half a century. As early as 1974, the city built the early domestic toroidal tokamak HT‑6, planting the first seed of the "artificial sun." Over the following decades — from the 1990 "Hefei Super Ring" (HT‑7) to the 2006 independent design and construction of the world’s first all‑superconducting, non‑circular‑cross‑section tokamak, EAST — Hefei has, step by step, advanced China’s magnetic confinement fusion research to the world frontier.

This perseverance has depended on continuous policy support. In September 2022, Anhui issued the "Strategic Action Plan (2022–2035) to Accelerate the Commercial Application of Fusion Energy through Innovative Models," accelerating fusion commercialization and establishing a three‑step development strategy of experimental, engineering, and commercial fusion reactors.

In December 2025, the Anhui Provincial CPC Committee’s proposals for the 15th Five‑Year Plan for economic and social development put forward making hydrogen energy and fusion energy new economic growth drivers.

Today, while EAST has repeatedly set world records in recent years, Hefei is also accelerating construction of the compact fusion energy test device (BEST) and the Comprehensive Research Facility for the Main Systems of Fusion Reactor (CRAFT) in the Hefei Future Big Science City.

In November 2025, fusion scientists from more than a dozen countries including France, the UK, Germany and Italy gathered to sign the "Hefei Fusion Declaration," declaring the city’s commitment to developing the fusion industry to the world.

This January, at the Fusion Energy Science and Industry Conference, Hefei went further, aiming to substantially complete the BEST device by the end of 2027 and to light the first lamp around 2030. At the same time, a more ambitious plan is underway — the China Fusion Engineering Demonstration Reactor (CFEDR) is expected to begin construction in 2030, be completed in 2035, and achieve demonstration power generation around 2040.

The next‑generation artificial sun: the "China HL‑3" device

As a major center of China’s nuclear industry, Chengdu has incorporated fusion energy into its core future industrial layout to safeguard the industry’s development.

In July 2025, Sichuan Province’s "Implementation Plan (2025–2027) for Expanding Emerging Industries and Accelerating the Cultivation of Future Industries" listed controlled nuclear fusion as a priority future industry. The plan calls for using major projects as drivers to promote breakthroughs in both magnetic and inertial confinement fusion technologies, accelerate the translation of cutting‑edge controlled fusion results, nurture innovative fusion energy companies, and expedite construction of major facilities such as quasi‑axisymmetric stellarators and large electromagnetic‑driven fusion devices, thereby providing provincial‑level policy support for fusion industry development.

Meanwhile, the Sichuan provincial committee and government’s "Opinions on Supporting Chengdu to Strengthen Core Functions and Accelerate High‑Quality Development" explicitly endorse Chengdu’s deployment of major scientific infrastructure in the fusion energy field.

In October of the same year, the 2nd ministerial meeting of the World Fusion Energy Coalition and the 30th International Conference on Fusion Energy opened in Chengdu. At this premier global fusion event, the IAEA’s first Fusion Research and Training Collaboration Centre, focused on fusion research and training, was established in Chengdu; the city officially released a controlled fusion industry development plan; and multiple parties signed agreements to jointly build the "China Fusion Energy Industry Innovation Base"…

A series of policies has given Chengdu’s fusion technology industry confidence, built the firmest development path, and shown the world the hard‑core strength of China’s fusion sector.

Comprehensive Research Facility for Main Systems of Fusion Reactors campus

Talent foundation: gathering the "light‑chasing" talents

Fusion research is one of humanity’s greatest intellectual challenges, and its core competitiveness ultimately rests on talent. Hefei and Chengdu have built strong talent "magnetic fields," attracting an endless stream of bright minds to the fusion industry.

Hefei relies on two top platforms — the Institute of Plasma Physics of the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the University of Science and Technology of China — gathering the country’s largest and most elite fusion research teams.

This January, the School of Fusion Science and Engineering at Hefei University of Technology was officially inaugurated — another important step in Hefei’s fusion talent cultivation following the establishment of a Fusion Engineering College at Hefei University of Technology. The school was co‑founded by the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei University of Technology, and two other institutions, marking the formal formation of a coordinated industry‑academia‑research talent training system.

A young researcher working on Science Island commented, "Hefei’s rich research atmosphere, comprehensive talent policies, and top‑tier facilities allow us to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to fusion energy R&D and to touch that dream of limitless clean energy."

Chengdu’s talent ecosystem displays the unique charm of coordination between the "national team" and local forces. The Southwest Institute of Physics of the Nuclear Industry, China’s earliest “national team” dedicated to controlled fusion research, has been rooted in the field for 60 years, bringing together many top experts who have worked in the industry for decades and training generation after generation of fusion researchers.

Now, with the accelerated construction of the fusion R&D base on the shore of Xinglong Lake, Chengdu’s ability to attract talent has further increased. In addition to the Southwest Institute of Physics, the city hosts the Tianfu Institute of Innovative Energy, Southwest Jiaotong University, other research institutions and innovation platforms, and a number of dynamic private companies such as HHMAX, Hongpeng Fusion, Tianfu Fusion, and Taihua Zhongcheng, forming a "research + industry" linkage matrix that provides dual "intellectual + industrial" guarantees for technology translation. This deep industry‑academia‑research integration enables talent not only to explore the unknown in labs but also to realize value in industry.

Top of the next‑generation artificial sun "China HL‑3"

Capital concentration: nourishing the fertile ground for fusion

From the laboratory’s faint glow to lighting millions of homes, fusion energy’s long R&D cycle, high investment costs, and technical difficulty require patient capital support.

"Patient capital" is the hallmark of Hefei’s capital ecosystem. Hefei Industrial Investment Group established the Hefei Future Fusion Energy Venture Fund with an initial scale of 1 billion yuan and a life of up to 15 years, well matched to fusion R&D and industry cultivation’s ultra‑long cycle.

While state capital funds first built an industrial capital "reservoir," Hefei further established platforms to attract broad social capital.

Led by the Grand Union of Innovation and co‑initiated by CASStar, Legend Capital and 15 other institutions, the "Fusion Financial Institution Alliance" brings together more than 130 banks, securities firms, and funds to build an industry‑finance collaboration bridge and inject continuous financial resources into the sector.

Hefei has now formed a cluster of big science facilities covering scientific research, engineering integration, and future commercial power prototypes, gathering nearly 60 industry‑chain related enterprises across materials, design, and manufacturing, forming an industrial ecosystem of "big science facilities + lead enterprises + supporting clusters."

Chengdu, meanwhile, leverages state capital and platform‑based operations to channel financial resources into the industry.

In July 2025, China Fusion Energy Co., Ltd. was established, with seven large state‑owned enterprises including CNNC investing 11.492 billion yuan. The company will target commercial fusion energy by 2050 and lay out engineering verification platforms for key fusion reactor equipment and materials R&D at Chengdu’s fusion R&D base.

On January 26 this year, Sichuan Fusion New Energy Industry Investment and Development Co., Ltd. officially began operations, marking a key step in Sichuan’s fusion industry deployment.

Wholly owned by Chengdu Tianfu Investment Group, this company is not only the core operator of the country’s first fusion industry park but also carries Sichuan’s ambition to build a world‑class advanced energy industry hub. In future it will coordinate state capital investment to promote the construction of science‑innovation cities, device R&D, and enterprise incubation.

Currently, in the Sichuan Tianfu High‑Tech Industrial Park (planned) where this platform company sits, there are 27 provincial‑level and above R&D institutions and over 500 industry‑chain enterprises in the fields of electronic information, aerospace, and advanced energy. Last year the leading industries generated more than 26 billion yuan in revenue, providing a solid foundation for fusion R&D and component manufacturing.

From Hefei’s deep cultivation on Science Island to Chengdu’s day‑and‑night efforts at Xinglong Lake, the two cities, though separated by a thousand miles, are tirelessly working toward the same "sunrise."

As Pan Jianwei, member of the National Committee of the CPPCC, vice‑chairman of the Jiusan Society and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said on the "CPPCC members’ channel": "Key core technologies cannot be obtained by waiting. As long as we keep faith, innovate independently, and leverage the advantages of a new national‑level mobilization system, we can surely turn bottlenecks into springboards for development."

Under the guidance of the national science and technology innovation strategy, Anhui and Sichuan have anchored fusion energy as a "national strategic asset," avoiding short‑term gains or fame, working with a spirit of selfless dedication and determined responsibility. They are deeply cultivating basic research and concentrating on core breakthroughs. Resonating and collaborating in step, the two regions are resolving technological bottlenecks one by one and strengthening innovation footholds layer by layer, writing an energy answer sheet oriented to the future and beneficial for generations with a sound view of political achievement.

Source: anhuinews.com