digiLab Attend the Fusion Industry Association Conference in D.C.

digiLab enables many technical fields with machine learning, but there are few more promising for sustainability than fusion energy. Because of this, digiLab is committed to the long term goal of realising fusion energy on Earth, and recently attended the annual Fusion Industry Association conference to support this goal.

On the 20th of March, the Fusion Industry Association gathered more than 300 attendees in Washington D.C. to discuss the important topics surrounding fusion science and policy. The Fusion Industry Association is a coalition of more than 35 fusion companies, and 80 affiliate members in various sectors enabling fusion. This includes digiLab, who are part of the growing fusion supply chain as a supplier of digital solutions and machine learning.

During the conference, world leaders in fusion discussed the most significant challenges and opportunities for the industry. This included policy makers such as U.S Congressman Chuck Fleischmann, but also included representatives from scientific institutions and private companies, like CEO of Commonwealth Fusion Systems Bob Mumgard. At the conference, digiLab's CEO Tim Dodwell gave a talk on the power of explainable machine learning for the fusion industry.

Along with Tim, digiLab's fusion team of Amanda Niedfeldt, Ross Allen, and Cyd Cowley headed to D.C. to engage with world-leading delegates in fusion. At the conference, they discussed the importance of machine learning in various aspects of fusion from plasma science to mechanical engineering to grid deployment.

The conference was tightly packed with panels and discussions, but throughout the conference there were a few clear throughlines. One of these throughlines was how many challenges still need to be solved before fusion is deployed, and how important the wider fusion industry is in overcoming those challenges. Even billion-dollar companies highlighted that they cannot solve every problem themselves, but instead must collaborate with a variety of companies with specialised expertise; companies like digiLab.

Interested in partnering or collaborating with digiLab to accelerate the commercialisation of fusion energy? Get in touch at fusion@digilab.co.uk