Century, Zap’s fusion technology test platform, has set a new performance record, operating at 39 kW average power for a series of >100 plasma shots at 0.2 Hz (one every 5 sec), with the resulting heat captured by circulating liquid metal. www.zapenergy.com/news/lightni...

Concentrated inside a vacuum chamber about the size of a hot water heater, each plasma carried up to 500 kA of current — about 20 times stronger than a bolt of lightning.

This 20x increase in sustained average power compared to the first phase of operations in 2024 is a major advance. Century’s early operations are detailed in a recently published paper (tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....) and were certified as a DOE milestone (zapenergy.com/news/doe-cen...).

The new benchmark was partly enabled by a new liquid metal loop that circulates 2,500 lbs of flowing bismuth to cool the plasma chamber. This video shows the new liquid metal loop moving into place.

Another key update is a new liquid metal first wall design that uses centrifugal forces to cover more exposed solid metal surfaces, improving its ability to absorb plasma heat.