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On moving fast and breaking things
Craig Piercycpiercy@ans.org
So much of what is happening in federal nuclear policy these days seems driven by a common approach popularized in the technology sector. Silicon Valley calls it “move fast and break things,” a phrase originally associated with Facebook’s early culture under Mark Zuckerberg. The idea emerged in the early 2000s as software companies discovered that rapid iteration, frequent experimentation, and a willingness to tolerate failure could dramatically accelerate innovation. This philosophy helped drive the growth of the social media, smartphones, cloud computing, and digital platforms that now underpin modern economic and social life.
Today, that mindset is also influencing federal nuclear policy. The Trump administration views accelerated nuclear deployment as part of a broader competition with China for technological and AI leadership. In that context, it seems willing to accept greater operational risk in pursuit of strategic advantage and long-term economic and security objectives.
Atsuo Iiyoshi, Masami Fujiwara, Osamu Motojima, Nobuyoshi Ohyabu, Kozo Yamazaki
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 17 | Number 1 | January 1990 | Pages 169-187
Technical Paper | Stellarator System | doi.org/10.13182/FST90-A29179
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The Large Helical Device (LHD) is a Heliotron/torsatron-type superconducting helical confinement fusion device, which is scheduled to be built by the newly established National Institute for Fusion Science in Japan. The design study is described. The goal of the LHD is to demonstrate high energy confinement and high beta in a helical device, which are necessary steps toward a helical reactor system.
