General Atomics, UC San Diego Collaborate to Launch Historic Fusion Data Science and Digital Engineering Center in San Diego

Collaboration to Strengthen California’s Leadership in Fusion Energy Innovation

/EIN News/ -- SAN DIEGO, March 18, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Scientists and engineers at General Atomics (GA) and the University of California San Diego (UC San Diego) have announced a groundbreaking collaboration to establish a Fusion Data Science and Digital Engineering Center in San Diego. The new center sets the stage for even deeper collaborations in advanced digital engineering, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and high-performance computing (HPC) as part of a multi-step effort to fast-track fusion energy development while reinforcing California’s leadership in fusion research and innovation.

“We are proud to join forces with UC San Diego at the interface of fusion and data science in order to take significant steps toward fusion energy,” said Dr. Raffi Nazikian, director of fusion data science at General Atomics. “Achieving fusion energy requires a new approach to fusion data science that leverages AI, ML, HPC and advanced capabilities like digital twin technology to optimize system design, reduce development cycles, and enhance overall performance and affordability.”

The new center underscores the strategic importance of a series of collaborative fusion research programs between GA and UC San Diego at the interface of fusion and data science. The collaborations are part of a critical research thrust within the campus’ Fusion Engineering Institute which brings together students, faculty and external partners around fusion energy research and education. The mission of the institute is to address the engineering challenges that must be solved to ensure that California and the nation win the global race to develop and deliver practical fusion energy at scale.

“I see this new fusion data science center as an opportunity to highlight just how important data science, artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are for solving the challenges holding back cost-effective fusion energy,” said UC San Diego mechanical engineering professor Javier E. Garay, director of the Fusion Engineering Institute and Associate Dean for Research at the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering. “This initiative provides a powerful way to further energize San Diego’s efforts at the intersection of fusion and data science, which is a key research thrust of our fusion engineering institute.”

At UC San Diego, the Fusion Engineering Institute connects people and projects across the entire campus, including the Jacobs School of Engineering, School of Physical Sciences, Center for Energy Research – and the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the Halicioglu Data Science Institute, both of which are part of the newly formed School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences.

UC San Diego and General Atomics

The new center builds on the strengthening collaboration between GA and UC San Diego in many areas at the intersection of data and fusion including the recent Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) project and the Fusion Data Platform for AI, both funded by the Department of Energy Office of Fusion Energy Science.

"General Atomics and UC San Diego came together to establish the San Diego Supercomputer Center 40 years ago thanks to funding from the National Science Foundation. The new center thus builds on a rich history of cooperation and will leverage significant existing investments to establish shared digital infrastructure," said Frank Wuerthwein, director of the San Diego Supercomputer Center. “We look forward to building cyberinfrastructure for fusion engineering as a public-private partnership with federal, state, and industry investments.”

Advances at the interface of fusion and data science stand to accelerate a series of complementary fusion research and workforce development collaborations between GA and UC San Diego. UC San Diego’s fusion expertise spans magnetic and inertial fusion approaches and includes plasma physics and engineering, lasers, materials science, data science, artificial intelligence and more. GA brings decades of leadership in fusion research; technology development; and deep understanding of control systems, fusion facility operation and maintenance, data architecture and fusion systems modeling.

Together, these institutions offer a dynamic platform for building the kinds of collaborations around research and education that are needed to solve the challenges holding back cost-competitive fusion energy systems at scale.

San Diego’s Fusion Workforce Development Ecosystem

San Diego’s fusion ecosystem is broad and includes important efforts in education and workforce development across the spectrum of fusion technologies. The new center, for example, will open training opportunities for students in fusion data science and digital engineering across California including students at University of California and California State Universities, as well as a range of community colleges and private universities.

Continued excellence in fusion energy workforce development will be central to preparing a new generation of fusion engineers and scientists to sustain rapid industry growth and innovation across California and the nation.

Expanding Collaborations at the Fusion-Data Interface

Public-private partnerships and other mechanisms for industry collaboration on research in the public interest at the interface of fusion and data science are growing in San Diego. Apart from the collaborations between GA and UC San Diego, the new center also includes contributions from industry leaders such as Ansys, a leading provider of engineering simulation software, and NVIDIA, a top technology and AI computing company.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with UC San Diego and General Atomics, who are working to realize the awesome potential that fusion energy would provide,” said Tom Gibbs, manager of developer relations at NVIDIA. “Our innovations in digital twin technology and GPU computing are uniquely positioned to enhance fusion research efficiency, predictive modeling capabilities, and overall technological advancement.”

Ansys provides their customers with industry-leading engineering simulation and analysis tools, essential for optimizing complex fusion system designs and validating new materials and components under extreme operational conditions.

“Ansys is enthusiastic about collaborating on this cutting-edge fusion initiative,” said Scott Parent, vice president and field chief technology officer of Energy, Industrials, Aerospace & Semiconductor at Ansys. “Our advanced engineering simulation solutions will help address the sophisticated challenges inherent in fusion energy development, ensuring safe, reliable, and economically viable systems.”

The Fusion City, the Fusion State

Fusion energy, the process that powers the sun, has the potential to provide virtually limitless clean, safe, and sustainable baseload energy. Fusion occurs when atoms join, unlike fission—the process of splitting atoms—which is the basis of today’s nuclear power. Scientists believe fusion could play a key role in meeting growing energy demands around the world.

“This is a breakthrough moment for fusion energy research in California, especially San Diego,” said Dr. Anantha Krishnan, senior vice president for the General Atomics Energy Group. “We believe the center’s focus in developing leading edge computing and digital engineering tools for fusion energy will have great synergy with experimental data from the Department of Energy’s DIII-D National Fusion Facility, which is operated by General Atomics. This collaboration will provide a unique opportunity to create new tools and technologies that will further accelerate the path to cost-effective commercial fusion energy.”

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About General Atomics

Since the dawn of the atomic age, General Atomics innovations have advanced the state of the art across the full spectrum of science and technology – from nuclear energy and defense to medicine and high-performance computing. Behind a talented global team of scientists, engineers, and professionals, GA’s unique experience and capabilities continue to deliver safe, sustainable, economical, and innovative solutions to meet growing global demands.

Andrew James
                    General Atomics
                    868-287-5734
                    andrew.james@ga.com