Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ASIPP)

The Institute of Plasma Physics (ASIPP) belongs to the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), within the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). CAS, HFIPS and ASIPP should be understood as an institutional hierarchy, not counted as three fusion companies. Based in Hefei, Anhui, ASIPP combines tokamak experiments with superconducting magnets, heating, vacuum and cryogenic technologies.

The institute was established in September 1978. EAST is best understood as a product of accumulated tokamak, power-supply, magnet and diagnostic research rather than an isolated new machine. Older official institutional descriptions include staffing and equipment figures, but those historical numbers should not automatically be presented as the organization’s current scale. HFIPS institutional introduction

On 21 January 2025, CAS reported that EAST had sustained steady-state high-confinement plasma operation for 1,066 seconds the previous day. This was a plasma-research result in 2025—not a new 2026 record and not 1,066 seconds of electricity production. During extended discharges, heat and particles continue to reach surrounding surfaces, while heating, current drive, impurity control and component cooling must be maintained. Extending operation therefore tests capabilities different from briefly producing a high temperature. CAS announcement

Sustaining plasma through external heating and studying a burning plasma in which fusion-produced alpha particles supply a substantial share of heating are related but different tasks. Discharge duration alone does not establish fusion gain, plant electricity consumption, fuel breeding or availability. Connecting EAST’s results with future reactors requires understanding the conditions under which temperature, density, confinement and exhaust can coexist.

CRAFT is a comprehensive fusion-technology research facility. ASIPP’s October 2026 report describes progress in CRAFT and BEST superconducting magnets, including design, materials, coil manufacture and cryogenic testing. CRAFT should not be described as another EAST-like plasma experiment or a completed power station. Large components require more than a design target: materials, joints, winding, inspection and behavior at low temperatures must be tested. 2026 engineering research report

BEST is a next-stage experimental-device development, while CFETR refers to a future Chinese fusion engineering test-reactor concept. Both must be distinguished from results already obtained on EAST. ASIPP’s October 2026 report confirms ongoing BEST device development, not achieved electricity production. Nor should CFETR and CFEDR, encountered in different documents, be assumed to be a simple renaming merely because the names resemble one another. Device mission, design stage, fuel and operating conditions need to be checked against each source.

Alongside EAST, ASIPP reports involvement in ITER procurement packages. That requires not only plasma science but also translating requirements into equipment, substantiating performance through tests and integrating components into an international facility. Its combination of magnets, power supplies, microwaves, vacuum, cryogenics and data acquisition is distinctive. Institute achievements should nevertheless not be equated with affiliated companies’ revenue or orders for commercial reactors.

Separating EAST experiments, CRAFT engineering tests, BEST development and future-reactor design reveals a portfolio addressing different problems—not one interchangeable “artificial sun.”

Reference date: 30 October 2026. Plans and development activities are distinguished from completed experiments.