Oxford, UK, 09 December 2025: First Light Fusion (FLF), a global leader in fusion energy innovation, has today announced it has been successfully awarded a contract with the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Industry Simulation Software for Fusion project as part of UKAEA’s wider programme to test and improve computer simulation tools for fusion energy.
Fusion energy is the process which powers the sun and the ability to recreate it here on Earth is often referred to as the ‘holy grail’ of energy generation as to do so would enable the generation of a clean and virtually limitless energy source. To make fusion happen on Earth, scientists and engineers need to create temperatures hotter than the sun (over 100 million degrees centigrade) and build advanced technologies in which to contain it.
The case study on which First Light Fusion is working will focus on demonstrating how its software can predict reliability of key components of a fusion machine – specifically the monoblocks which protect fusion machines from extreme heat loads – and how they perform in very harsh conditions.
First Light Fusion will use its advanced Data Science Toolkit, which includes powerful software for building predictive models and running reliability tests. This is the first time these tools will be used in an external project. The work will be led by First Light Fusion experts Rafel Bordas and Damilola Adekanye, with oversight from Thomas Edwards.
On partnering with UKAEA, Rafel Bordas, First Light Fusion, Head of Data-Driven Engineering, said: “Being awarded this contract to demonstrate reliability analysis of a monoblock is an important opportunity to apply our advanced software and data-driven modelling capabilities to real-world engineering problems in fusion machines. It is particularly rewarding to see methods originally created for inertial fusion energy research can now contribute to advancing tokamak design and supporting the broader UK fusion mission.”
Dr Jonathan Horne-Jones, ISSF Project Lead at UKAEA, added: “We have been delighted with the response to our call for engagement with fusion’s simulation challenges. The collaborative approach we are encouraging will be the fastest route to achieving the simulation capability needed for realisation of commercially viable fusion. We thank First Light Fusion for bidding for this work and look forward to working with them on the project.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The UKAEA contract is structured across four Lots, each representing a specialised case study:
• Lot 1: Neutronics-Thermal-Structural Analysis Lot.
• Lot 2: Structural Response of Thin Structures to Induced Electromagnetic Loads.
• Lot 3: Reliability Analysis of Monoblock Failure.
• Lot 4: Liquid Metal Magnetohydrodynamics in Non-Uniform Magnetic Fields and Subject to External Heating
About First Light Fusion
First Light Fusion (FLF) is a UK-based inertial fusion energy company focused on enabling the commercialisation of fusion energy and supporting the UK’s sovereign capabilities in defence and materials science research.
Founded in 2011 as a spin-out from the University of Oxford, First Light has developed proprietary technologies in pressure and velocity application technology, machine learning simulation codes (the most advanced in the global fusion sector), and world-leading experimental infrastructure. This includes Europe’s largest pulsed power facility and the UK’s largest two-stage gas gun – multi-use platforms applicable to both fusion and broader high-energy physics research.
In September 2025, First Light published its research paper ‘FLARE – A Bold Strategy to Unlock Fusion Power’ – a concept that unlocks a new faster and more economical pathway to commercial inertial fusion energy.
For more information visit www.firstlightfusion.com.
Media Contact: Stephen Farmer, Communications. First Light Fusion stephen.farmer@firstlightfusion.com
About the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is the UK’s national fusion energy research organisation. We are an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).
The work we do
UKAEA’s mission is to lead the delivery of sustainable fusion energy and maximise the scientific and economic benefit. We do this by being technical experts, partnering with companies and the international research community.
At the core of UKAEA’s efforts is the operation of world-leading facilities that build a comprehensive knowledge base for fusion energy. By addressing and solving the challenges across the full lifecycle of fusion, and integrating solutions from various disciplines, we establish technical centres of excellence that serve as the foundation for future fusion power plant programmes.
UKAEA collaborates with its partners to develop fusion power plants by providing access to our skills, facilities and expertise. UKAEA owns UK Industrial Fusion Solutions (UKIFS) on behalf of the UK government. Through UKIFS, we’re spearheading the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) programme to design and build the UK’s first prototype fusion energy power plant in Nottinghamshire.
To grow the fusion ecosystem, UKAEA focuses on cultivating skilled talent, growing the fusion industry and creating ‘innovation clusters’. We actively seek opportunities to advance fusion technologies and communicate its vast potential to stakeholders and the public alike to accelerate fusion energy’s future – the energy of tomorrow we need today.
