ITER Persistent Actors Framework

ITER is a next-generation international experimental fusion reactor which aims to demonstrate net energy gain for the first time. The increased complexity and scale of ITER compared to present-day experiments demands a leap in simulation capabilities. To reduce costs and risks, simulation will be routinely applied for experimental preparation, performance optimization and model based control.

Central to these efforts is the development of software that efficiently couples together different physics and engineering codes into a single workflow. ITER has developed the Integrated Modelling and Analysis Suite (IMAS), which provides a consistent data model and related software infrastructure for simulations and diagnostics.

The Persistent Actor Framework project, aims to facilitate the coupling of different codes – possibly even written in different languages – into a single workflow, where each code component maintains its internal state throughout. The MUSCLE3 coupling framework, originally developed by the University of Amsterdam Computational Science Lab and the Netherlands eScience Center, was chosen for this task. The project comprises extensions to MUSCLE3, integration of MUSCLE3 and IMAS, several demonstration workflows based on active use-cases, and a hands-on course to embed the developed tools into ITER daily practice. This project is carried out in collaboration with DIFFER, Ignition Computing, the Poznan Supercomputing and Networking Center, and ITER.