If the tokamak is the heart of ITER then the cables are the central nervous system that connects the body of the machine to its brain. To date, 50,373 cables have been identified and registered in the ITER Cable Database and the number is increasing daily as the anatomy of ITER develops.

There was consternation during the 2007 ITER Design Review—which scrutinized the ITER design down to the last bolt—when it was realized that cable engineering tasks to build up a centralized cable and routing database had not been incorporated.

This task was subsequently assigned to the Electrical Engineering Division and a working group was established to consider the various requirements for high and low voltage power cables and the more sensitive Instrumentation & Control (I&C) cables used for diagnostics.

"When we first started this exercise, we were overwhelmed by the numerous requirements from the users," remembers Jashwant Sonara, electrical engineer, who was sent to the project from the Indian Domestic Agency in spring 2010. One-and-a-half years later, Jashwant, David Beltran and Joel Hourtoule have their heads above the water line and are now managing (Jashwant perfers the word "integrating") the labyrinth of cables that will serve the Tokamak Complex via trays, racks and towers.

The working group has been greatly supported over the past 18 months by the CAD designers who have uploaded an incredible amount of data into the centralized Cable Database.