China has introduced the world’s most powerful centrifuge, the CHIEF1900, at the end of 2025. The machine generates up to 1,900 times the Earth’s gravity and is expected to allow researchers to simulate extreme physical conditions and disasters.
What exactly is the CHIEF1900? The CHIEF1900 centrifuge, developed by the Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group, is part of a comprehensive national research project and has been installed in a 15-meter-deep underground laboratory. It can generate forces equivalent to 1,900 times the Earth’s gravity (Xataka).
Thus, it surpasses all previous centrifuges – including the predecessor model CHIEF1300 and comparable research facilities from the United States (South China Morning Post).
The machine allows for a so-called “hypergravity,” where gravity-related processes can be studied in a highly accelerated time frame.
By the way, the name CHIEF is derived from the initial letters of the research institution Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experimental Facility (German: Zentrifugale Hypergravitation und interdisziplinäre Versuchsanlage).
The Shift of Time
How can a machine influence time and space? Generally, the centrifuge does not literally compress space and time. It means that processes that would take years or centuries in nature can be simulated in the laboratory within a few hours.
The main area of application is the simulation of extreme scenarios and the verification of structures. For example, a three-meter high dam model can rotate at 100g to generate the forces that act on a 300-meter high dam in reality. Risks such as dam failures or earthquake damage can be analyzed in advance (via winfuture).
Who is allowed to research with the machine? Although the CHIEF1900 was developed in China, the research facility is not only accessible to Chinese scientists. According to official information, the laboratory is also open for international research collaborations. With a budget of about 285 million USD, the facility is among the most modern of its kind worldwide (via Techspot).
The CHIEF1900 is used in several disciplines: In materials research, for example, construction materials are tested under extreme stress, in geoscience the facility simulates the spread of pollutants in the soil, and in biology it examines how cells and organisms respond to increased gravity — with a view to possible living conditions on other planets.
With the CHIEF1900 centrifuge, China underscores its claim to play a leading role in international natural science. In addition to immense research investments and ambitions, China is also working on the transformation of transport and urban planning of metropolises: Metro stations are being built in China before the city is even constructed.
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