UK Fusion Energy Ltd (UKFE), the organisation delivering the UK’s first prototype fusion energy plant, has signed a £30m ($40.5m) contract with software development company Dassault Systèmes to expand delivery and capability within the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, a key part of the STEP (Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production) Plant Information Management System (PIMS). This marks a significant milestone in the creation of the information baseline for the STEP prototype fusion power plant at West Burton.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform from Dassault Systèmes is a cloud-based business and innovation platform that integrates diverse engineering, design, and management applications into a single environment. For UKFE, it serves as the digital backbone for the STEP programme.
The 3DEXPERIENCE platform will give STEP a single, trusted source of plant information, where technical teams and partners can design data, requirements, simulations and system models in one shared environment. This will improve engineering accuracy and reduce risk.
UKFE Ltd is using the platform specifically to manage the immense complexity of the UK’s first prototype fusion plant through several key functions:
- Virtual Twin Experience: The platform creates a high-fidelity digital shadow of the plant, allowing engineers to simulate and test real-world scenarios, such as plasma behaviour or maintenance procedures, in a virtual world before physical construction.
- Single Version of the Truth: It provides a unified database (information baseline) where all project data including CAD computer-aided design) designs, regulatory requirements, and simulation results is stored centrally. This eliminates “data silos” and ensures every partner, from architects to contractors, works with the most up-to-date information.
- Integrated Product Lifecycle Management (PLM): The platform governs the entire lifecycle of the plant, from its initial conceptual design through to manufacturing, operations, and eventual decommissioning.
- Collaborative Innovation: It connects multidisciplinary teams and global partners – such as those in industry and academia allowing them to collaborate in real-time on any device.
The platform hosts 13 major brands that UKFE Ltd can access through “roles” tailored to specific job functions: CATIA (advanced 3D modelling and systems engineering); SIMULIA (physics-based simulation for testing structural and fluid dynamics); DELMIA (planning and optimising manufacturing and factory operations; and ENOVIA (managing data governance, project plans, and compliance).
The platform will lay the foundations for the digital shadows and twins of the plant. This will enable engineers to model, test and optimise systems in a virtual environment both before physical constructions and throughout the plant’s lifecycle. PIMS will also strengthen collaboration with partners across industry and academia, helping the UK build the capability required for future commercial fusion energy.
“This agreement marks an important milestone in the evolution of the information baseline for the STEP Prototype Fusion Powerplant at West Burton,” said Debbie Kempton, UKFE Director of Engineering Programme. “PIMS, powered by the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, will play a critical role in creating the blueprint for future fusion powerplants while enabling fast, efficient and rigorous engineering delivery. The STEP Programme is pleased to continue its collaboration with Dassault Systèmes as we work together towards the future of fusion energy.”
Patricia Verrier, UKFE Head of Engineering – Computing, Modelling and Simulation said the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will provide the digital capability needed to deliver STEP. “PIMS will provide a unified environment where every decision, requirement, model and simulation is connected. It will transform the way STEP Fusion designs, integrates and governs the prototype powerplant.”
John Turnbull, EURONORTH Managing Director at Dassault Systèmes, said: “As we begin the journey towards a virtual twin for STEP using the 3DEXPERIENCE platform, UKFE Ltd is building the digital engineering foundations that will support the development of future fusion powerplants. This collaboration will help strengthen innovation and collaboration as the STEP prototype fusion powerplant progresses.”
