160 million °C plasma
2021-05EAST (ASIPP)
Peak ion temperature ~10× the sun's core — the heat fusion needs.
All actors
EAST (ASIPP)
Profile
Chinese 'artificial sun' tokamak; 160M°C (2021) and 1,066 s plasma (2025).
Editorial profile — compiled by us from public sources.
- Headquarters
- Hefei, China
Current standings
Standings and milestones are always verified by us against primary sources, regardless of who manages the profile.
Roadmap & milestones
1,066 s high-confinement plasma
2025-01EAST (ASIPP)
Steady-state operation past 1,000 s — the bridge to a power plant.
EAST surpasses the Greenwald density limit
2026-01EAST (ASIPP) / CAS
EAST ran stable plasmas at 1.3–1.65× the Greenwald density limit (vs the usual 0.8–1.0) using ECRH-assisted ohmic start-up — clearing a decades-old barrier in magnetic confinement. Higher density lifts the fusion rate and the triple product toward breakeven. Published in Science Advances (Jan 2026); ASIPP, Huazhong University and Aix-Marseille.
