This Week’s Fusion News: May 23, 2025
Things You Gotta Know
NIF Achieves 8.6 MJ Output in Laser Fusion Breakthrough
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) has significantly advanced inertial confinement fusion, increasing energy yields from 5.2 to 8.6 megajoules, surpassing its 2022 milestone of 3.15 MJ. While the facility still consumes more energy than it produces, these results mark a pivotal step toward practical fusion energy. The process involves 192 lasers compressing a deuterium-tritium fuel pellet within a gold hohlraum, generating X-rays that initiate fusion.
General Atomics Delivers Final Components for UK’s MAST Upgrade
General Atomics has completed the shipment of critical corrugated waveguide components to the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Culham Campus, supporting the Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak (MAST) Upgrade. These components are essential for implementing Electron Bernstein Wave (EBW) heating, a novel method to heat plasma in fusion reactors efficiently. The MAST Upgrade aims to enhance plasma performance and inform the design of future fusion power plants.
CATF Advocates for a Comprehensive Federal Energy Innovation Strategy
The Clean Air Task Force emphasizes U.S. federal leadership’s need to advance energy technologies, including fusion, carbon capture, and next-generation geothermal. They advocate for a holistic approach encompassing research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D), supported by adequate funding and policy incentives. Such a strategy is vital for maintaining global competitiveness and achieving a low-carbon economy.
Type One Energy Positions Fusion to Power Homes and AI Data Centers
Type One Energy, a Tennessee-based startup, is advancing stellarator-based fusion technology with claims that it can deliver grid-ready electricity within the next decade. As AI-driven demand surges for clean, reliable power, CEO Christofer Mowry emphasizes that fusion, made practical through recent supercomputing advancements, offers a 24/7 energy solution without long-term waste or weapons risk. Backed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures and TDK Ventures, the company has raised $82.4 million and is preparing to test its reactor with the Tennessee Valley Authority. Unlike traditional nuclear power, stellarators promise safe, decentralized deployment near energy-intensive infrastructure such as data centers.
Highlights from the 2025 Ignition Summit, New York City
BY MICHAEL HEUMANN
At the 2025 Ignition Summit in NYC, top minds in nuclear fission and fusion discussed the urgent need for capital, supply chain investment, and public-private partnerships. Fusion’s momentum is strong, but so is the competition with China. Read the key takeaways from CFS, Pacific Fusion, Xcimer, Thea Energy, Avalanche, and more.
Interview with EMC2 Fusion: A Different Approach to Fusion
BY MICHAEL HEUMANN
In this premium interview, EMC2 Fusion’s Dave Mansfield explains the promise of Polywell reactors, an unconventional, high-beta magnetic cusp fusion design. Compact, stable, and scalable, the Polywell could redefine fusion’s path to commercialization.
