How fusion power works and the startups pursuing it
For decades, humans have sought to harness the power of the stars to generate electricity here on Earth. And for nearly as long, achieving that goal always seemed just a decade away. Now, a slew of startups are closer than ever before and rushing to build fusion reactors capable of putting power on the grid. Fusion startups have drawn more than $10 billion in investment, with more than a dozen raising over $100 million. Many large funding rounds have closed in the last year, with investors drawn to the industry as energy demand from data centers ramps up and as fusion startups draw closer to the finish line. At its core, fusion power seeks to use the energy released from the fusing of atoms to generate electricity. Humans have known how to fuse atoms for decades, from the…
