Dassault Systèmes Signs £30 Million Digital Twin Contract with UK STEP Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Dassault Systèmes has signed a £30 million contract with the UK nuclear fusion project—Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP)—to provide its 3DEXPERIENCE platform for developing a digital twin of the next-generation fusion power plant.

Debbie Kempton, Engineering Project Manager at UK Fusion Energy, stated that the 3DEXPERIENCE platform will play a key role in delivering fast, efficient, and rigorous engineering designs while creating a blueprint for future fusion power plants. The platform enables engineers, designers, scientists, and construction partners to collaborate in real time based on the same data and context, aiming to reduce the need for standalone CAD files, simulation models, and disparate engineering databases.

John Turnbull, Managing Director of Dassault Systèmes EuroNorth, added that this deployment will enhance engineering continuity, accelerate innovation, and ensure that plant information, engineering decisions, and system designs remain fully traceable throughout the entire lifecycle of the prototype power plant.

The STEP project received an additional £2.5 billion in government investment in June 2025 and plans to build the world's first fusion power plant on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Nottinghamshire, with a target operational date of 2040. The project is seen as a significant step from scientific research toward the pre-production phase. Previously, Tokamak Energy signed a £70 million contract to develop high-temperature superconducting magnets used as fuel for the fusion power plant.

The project is expected to create up to 10,000 jobs in construction, engineering, and the supply chain. The final design is expected to be completed around 2032, with construction, installation, and commissioning taking approximately eight years.

Nuclear fusion technology generates energy by combining light atoms, and unlike nuclear fission, it has minimal environmental impact. The success of this project is historically significant for global efforts to combat climate change and meet energy demands. Dassault Systèmes' 3DEXPERIENCE platform, previously applied in industries such as automotive and aerospace, demonstrates its capability to handle complex projects in this fusion energy application.