EAST followed China's first superconducting tokamak device, dubbed HT-7, built by the Institute of Plasma Physics in partnership with Russia in the early 1990s.

[7] During initial operation, EAST was able to successfully generate its first plasma on September 28, 2006 in a nearly three second long test, reaching an electric current of 200 kiloamperes.

[5] By January 2007, the reactor had progressed to creating a plasma that could last nearly five seconds and generate currents up to 500 kiloamperes.

[10] After a nearly 20-month long upgrading break since September 2012, EAST commenced for the first round of experiments in May 2014.

A year later, EAST was reporting currents of up to 1 Megaampere, as well as stable H-mode plasma for 6.4 seconds.

[19] EAST then broke its record several years later on January 20, 2025, when it sustained plasma for 1066 seconds.