Advancements in central control for IFMIF-DONES: Integrating CODAC, MPS, and SCS into a unified control framework

The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility-DEMO Oriented NEutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) represents a cutting-edge accelerator-based neutron source designed to produce high-energy neutrons for the irradiation of materials intended for use in DEMO, the future fusion reactor. Given the complexity of such a facility, a robust central control system is indispensable to ensure safe supervision and management of all operations. This paper provides an overview of recent advancements in the design of the Central Instrumentation and Control Systems (CICS) for IFMIF-DONES, focusing on the transition to the definition design phase. Employing a distributed approach, the architecture utilizes fast devices and dedicated networks for real-time communication among control units. This paper outlines the current status of the design for each CICS system and discusses existing and future plans for their integration into a unified control framework. The ongoing effort to integrate all CICS systems into a cohesive framework faces various challenges, such as data acquisition synchronization and interlock management. The integration of subsystems within CICS may be powerfully enhanced using artificial intelligence tools by enabling data-driven decision-making, proactive maintenance, adaptive control, and intelligent optimization.