PPPL Codes Fuel Fusion Energy's Next Era

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's pioneering work in plasma physics and computer simulations is accelerating fusion energy development.

Mar. 18, 2026 at 12:08am

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For decades, the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has been a leader in developing critical fusion computer programs that model plasma's behavior, enabling engineers and physicists to design fusion machines with increased speed and efficiency. PPPL's codes are tackling key challenges in fusion energy, from improving system performance using AI to predicting plasma stability and boosting the private fusion industry's development.

Why it matters

PPPL's pioneering work in plasma physics and computer simulations has laid the foundation for the field of fusion energy. As the world races to develop practical fusion power, PPPL's advanced codes are proving invaluable in overcoming technical hurdles, optimizing fusion system designs, and accelerating the path to commercial fusion energy.

The details

PPPL scientists use a range of codes to solve fusion challenges, from simulating the movement of individual plasma particles to modeling the behavior of entire fusion devices. Recent breakthroughs include using AI systems to predict and prevent plasma instabilities, developing digital surrogates to optimize stellarator designs, and leveraging the M3D-C1 code to help private fusion companies validate their designs. PPPL's TRANSP code is also widely used to analyze the overall performance of fusion plasmas, while the XGC kinetic code has provided crucial insights into plasma turbulence and heat flow.

  • PPPL was founded in the 1950s and has been a leader in plasma physics and fusion energy research for over 75 years.
  • The Genesis Mission, a major DOE initiative to accelerate scientific discovery using AI, was launched in 2026.
  • PPPL's National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) is scheduled to go live in 2026.

The players

Lyman Spitzer

The founder of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory and a Princeton University astronomy professor who virtually created the field of plasma physics from scratch in the 1950s and 1960s.

John Dawson

A member of PPPL's Theory Department in the 1960s who was one of the first people to model plasma behavior using computer simulations, a groundbreaking achievement that led to the American Physical Society renaming the Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics after him.

Egemen Kolemen

A Princeton University professor and staff research physicist at PPPL who has created AI systems used on fusion experiments in South Korea and California to help create and sustain plasma with minimal energy loss and no unwanted energy bursts.

Michael Churchill

The head of digital engineering at PPPL who is leading efforts to use AI-powered computer codes to more quickly derive the shapes of magnets that might best boost stellarator plasma performance.

Shantenu Jha

The head of PPPL's computational sciences and a member of the executive council of the DOE's Genesis Mission, an integrated system that will bring together experimental facilities, supercomputers, data archives, and AI models to accelerate scientific discovery.

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What they’re saying

“The Genesis platform is an integrated, ambitious system that will bring together the various unique DOE assets: experimental and user facilities, the supercomputers, data archives and, importantly, the AI models. We're proud to be part of it.”

— Shantenu Jha, Head of Computational Sciences, PPPL

“Because magnet coil shapes dominantly determine the machine's performance, computation has an outsized return on investment for stellarators. That's why we are spending so much time on this effort.”

— Michael Churchill, Head of Digital Engineering, PPPL

What’s next

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The takeaway

PPPL's pioneering work in plasma physics and computer simulations has been critical in advancing fusion energy research for decades. As the world moves closer to practical fusion power, PPPL's cutting-edge codes and expertise will continue to play a vital role in overcoming technical challenges, optimizing fusion system designs, and accelerating the path to commercial fusion energy.