Quantum computing breakthrough could accelerate tritium production for future fusion power

Researchers from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Cleveland Clinic and IBM have performed the first known quantum computer calculations on a material critical to future fusion power plants, the organizations announced. The study, published on the arXiv preprint server, demonstrates how quantum computing can model complex molecular interactions beyond the reach of conventional methods. The breakthrough focuses on FLiBe, a molten salt made from fluorine, lithium and beryllium considered a leading candidate for breeding and extracting tritium inside fusion reactors. By successfully calculating nine different molecular configurations of FLiBe, researchers have taken an important step toward designing materials capable of producing the tritium needed to sustain commercial fusion energy. The research supports the U.S. Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, which aims to accelerate scientific discovery by combining high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and quantum technologies. The findings could help overcome one of fusion energy's greatest challenges by improving tritium production methods and ensuring sufficient fuel for next-generation reactors. Tritium, one of the hydrogen isotopes required for most planned fusion reactors, occurs only in extremely small quantities in nature and must be generated within the reactor itself. The team combined quantum processors with classical supercomputers using a quantum-centric computing workflow to examine multiple molecular arrangements of FLiBe with and without tritium present. The collaboration is already working to scale the technique to larger and more complex simulations.