General Atomics Leads Effort to Build National Data Ecosystem Aimed at Accelerating Commercial Fusion Power

The multi-institutional project secures four-year DOE funding to unify fusion data and workflows into an accessible nationwide resource

SAN DIEGO (Sept. 16, 2025) - Scientists at General Atomics (GA) announced this month that they will be leading a much-needed multi-institutional initiative to create a unified data system for fusion energy research in the United States-called the Fusion Energy Data Ecosystem and Repository (FEDER).

The project will be funded through the U.S. Department of Energy's Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) Collaborative, a multimillion-dollar initiative designed to fast-track fusion development, support American innovation and bolster U.S. leadership in the energy sector.

Researchers plan to use FEDER to create a shared, standardized platform that links experimental results, simulation outputs and workflows from national laboratories, universities and private companies, turning today's disconnected datasets and workflows into a unified community resource that speeds up discovery and brings commercial fusion power closer to reality.

"Fusion research advances fastest when data flows freely and securely rather than remain trapped in isolated silos, proprietary formats, and disconnected analysis tools," said Dr. Raffi Nazikian, director of Fusion Data Science at General Atomics. "FEDER will break down barriers between institutions and disciplines, integrating datasets, computational models and research workflows. We will be able to capture new data in FEDER's living commons and make them available for immediate reuse in the next experiment or simulation."

GA is joined in the FEDER initiative by a coalition of leading institutions: the San Diego Supercomputer Center at UC San Diego; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Idaho National Laboratory; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Plasma Science and Fusion Center; Hewlett Packard Enterprise; UCLA; and West Virginia University. Together, their experts in plasma physics, fusion engineering, materials science and high-performance computing will collaborate with other FIRE Collaboratives and research teams nationwide to build the community-driven platform.

"FEDER is an important step toward turning today's scattered fusion datasets into a unified resource for realizing the full potential of fusion energy," said Tom Gibbs, developer relations lead for NVIDIA. "By making siloed data readily accessible and linking it with resources such as National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource and the DOE Integrated Research Infrastructure, the research community can develop the advanced AI models needed for full-scale digital twins that will support the emerging commercial ecosystem."

In addition to improving reproducibility, transparency and interdisciplinary collaboration, FEDER will integrate cutting-edge platforms-including the Fusion Data Platform, Open Science Data Federation and the National Data Platform-into a powerful, user-friendly service.

"We already have the building blocks. Now it's time to connect them," said Dr. Ilkay Altintas, chief data science officer at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. "Within the first year, FEDER will weave these tools together and offer an accessible, scalable service that will grow into a lasting national resource."

Fusion - the same process that powers the sun - is widely considered a potential source of nearly limitless, sustainable energy. From its headquarters in San Diego, General Atomics has been a leader in fusion science research and engineering for more than five decades. The company operates the DIII-D National Fusion Facility on behalf of the Department of Energy - the only tokamak currently operating in the United States - and collaborates with scientists and engineers around the world to help make fusion power a reality.

For more information on GA's fusion energy research, visit ga.com/energy-systems-and-products.

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.

Media Contact:Andrew JamesCommunications LeadGeneral Atomics Energy Group [email protected]