Fusion News

Jasmine Mund, mechanical design engineer with a key interest in the fusion industry, gives this week’s global Fusion News update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.1. ‘World-first’ 1 keV fusion milestone set without lasers or superconducting magnetshttps://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-reactor-hits-world-first-1-kev-milestone2. Germany launches fusion milestone programmehttps://www.neimagazine.com/news/germany-launches-fusion-milestone-programme/3. Scientists may have found a shortcut to fusion energyhttps://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261008005242.htm4. Department of Commerce Announces Letters of Intent With 4 Companies for $389 Million of R&D Awards to Strengthen America’s Energy Semiconductor Supply Chainhttps://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/10/department-commerce-announces-letters-intent-4-companies-389-million-rd5. Hephaestus raises £12.8m to advance rare-earth-free fusion technologyhttps://nstartup.me/news/1e9eeedf-4c6a-47f0-9acb-adff172dedddBonus stories:IPP, Columbia University establish international fusion research centerhttps://www.ans.org/news/article-8507/ipp-columbia-university-establish-international-fusion-research-center/Interview: The Fusion Future with Dennis Whyte | Particles of Thoughthttps://youtu.be/mu1T0vFeD1w?si=1UwJw1jAZIMd-olb

Dr. Cyd Cowley and Caroline Anderson discuss high temperature superconductors (HTS) - explaining how the technology works and why it matters for commercial fusion energy. Plus, a behind the scenes look at Tokamak Energy’s DEMO-4 machine with Product Development Manager, Nadia Gjerdingen.About Tech Now: Tech Now is a new podcast series from the Fusion Industry Association. Each month, Caroline Anderson, Director of External Affairs, Fusion Industry Association, and Dr. Cyd Cowley, Fusion Principal, digiLab will take a closer look at a game-changing technology accelerating commercial fusion energy.

Adrian Carrillo, Master's Student at the University of Washington focusing on computational plasma physics, gives today's global Fusion News update. As usual, links to the stories discussed are below.1. CFS places a major superconducting tape order for ARChttps://cfs.energy/news-and-media/commonwealth-fusion-systems-places-largest-single-/2. ITER receives its final vacuum vessel sectorhttps://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/europes-final-iter-vacuum-vessel-sector-delivered/3. A bipartisan bill proposes ten billion dollars for fusionhttps://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=38504. Daedal raises funding for fusion plasma diagnosticshttps://www.daedalsystems.com/funding-announcementBonus:https://www.gov.ca.gov/2026/09/30/governor-newsom-signs-legislation-to-accelerate-californias-fusion-industry-announces-major-investment-for-quantum-research/https://www.pppl.gov/news/2026/openstar-technologies-and-pppl-are-building-partnership-advance-fusion-energyhttps://www.pppl.gov/news/2026/novel-path-fusion-ignition-heat-first-then-add-fuel

To kick off the People in Fusion series, Fusion Industry Association CEO Andrew Holland sits down with Dr. Tim Bestwick, outgoing CEO of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).They talk about the UK's long history of fusion leadership and its evolving role as industry moves toward deployment, lessons Tim gained from his career bringing tech to market in other early industries, and his vision for the "quest" to commercialization.People in Fusion is a new podcast series from the Fusion Industry Association, featuring conversations with the people behind fusion energy's acceleration.

Carli Smith, Fusion Researcher at Kyoto Fusioneering, gives this week's global Fusion News update. Links to the stories are included below.1. First Light Fusion achieves major fuel compression milestonehttps://www.niauk.org/first-light-fusion-achieves-major-step-forward-for-flare/ 2. Fusion leaders meet in London for the UK Fusion Forum and Global Policy Summithttps://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/fusion-leaders-convene-in-london-for-global-policy-summit-and-fia-uk-fusion-forum/3. Compact fusion company nT-Tao gets a step closer to pushing core plasma temperature limitshttps://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-gets-50-mw-pulse-upgrade?mc_cid=a9d63400624. Proxima Fusion plans Europe’s first high temperature superconducting tape factoryhttps://www.neimagazine.com/news/germany-plans-europes-first-hts-factory/Bonus:https://www.ribaj.com/intelligence/opportunities-for-architects-in-fusion-energy/https://www.york.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/research/transatlantic-partnership-fusion/

Dr. Cyd Cowley, working at the intersection of fusion and AI at FIA affiliate member digiLab, gives this week’s global Fusion News update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.1. The $14 Billion Bet to Bring Fusion Out of the Labhttps://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-09-09/fusion-gets-14-billion-bet-energy-source-can-be-commercialized2. Tokamak Energy completes 13.7T fusion magnet testshttps://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/tokamak-energy-completes-137t-fusion-magnet-tests3. Helical selected for Japanese fusion demonstration projecthttps://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/helical-selected-for-japanese-fusion-demonstration-project4. Tennessee issues licence for fusion planthttps://world-nuclear-news.org/articles/tennessee-issues-licence-for-fusion-plant Bonus story:FIA white paper guides Agreement States on fusion regulation:https://www.ans.org/news/article-8374/fia-white-paper-guides-agreement-states-on-fusion-regulation/

Dave Thomas, editor of Fusion News and fusion filmmaker covering the industry for over a decade, gives this week’s global Fusion News update.  Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.1. Pacific Fusion’s next fusion machine could clear a key hurdle to commercial powerhttps://techcrunch.com/2026/08/25/pacific-fusion-next-fusion-machine-could-clear-key-hurdle-to-commercial-power/2. Kyoto Fusioneering raises $162 millionhttps://kyotofusioneering.com/en/news/2026/08/24/43503. Marathon Fusion tackles one of fusion’s biggest fuel problemshttps://heatmap.news/climate-tech/marathon-fusion-lithium-tritium4. Inertia Enterprises cuts fusion fuel production from days to hourshttps://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/inertia-enterprises-finds-a-way-to-make-its-fusion-fuel-fast/Bonus stories:STEP passes 50 fusion patent applicationshttps://stepfusion.com/uk-fusion-energy-hits-major-ip-milestone/Eni sees fusion as its “next refinery”https://www.ft.com/content/e6a069b6-69f8-4a21-9873-3cc0736d27e2?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Jasmine Mund, mechanical design engineer with a key interest in the fusion industry, gives today’s global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.1. Kyoto Fusioneering to Relocate U.S. HQ to Tennessee and Deliver UNITY-3 with ORNL, a First-of-Its-Kind Facility to De-Risk Fusion Technologyhttps://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260811349799/en/Kyoto-Fusioneering-to-Relocate-U.S.-HQ-to-Tennessee-and-Deliver-UNITY-3-with-ORNL-a-First-of-Its-Kind-Facility-to-De-Risk-Fusion-Technology2. Fusion energy developer TAE signs helium-3 future fuel supply option agreementhttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/fusion-energy-developer-tae-signs-helium-3-future-fuel-supply-option-agreement-2026-08-05/3. MIT scientists’ new framework could make fusion power a commercial realityhttps://interestingengineering.com/energy/mit-scientists-economic-framework-fusion-power-reality4. Fusion fuel tech makes commercial leaphttps://www.neimagazine.com/news/fusion-fuel-tech-makes-commercial-leap/5. Latest MAST Upgrade experiments achieve milestoneshttps://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/latest-mast-upgrade-experiments-achieve-milestones6. Fuse Touts ‘Highest’ Neutron Yield by Any Fusion Companyhttps://www.powermag.com/fuse-touts-highest-neutron-yield-by-any-fusion-company/Bonus stories:Fusion machines benefit from first-ever silver crystal tritium separationhttps://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-reactors-get-first-silver-tritiumFusion energy expert Prof Dennis Whyte appointed next UKAEA CEOhttps://www.niauk.org/fusion-energy-expert-prof-dennis-whyte-appointed-next-ukaea-ceo/

Adrian Carrillo, Master's Student at the University of Washington focusing on computational plasma physics, gives today’s global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.1. Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises $1 billion in equity fundinghttps://www.reuters.com/business/energy/us-fusion-energy-company-commonwealth-raises-1-billion-equity-funding-2026-07-30/2. Thea Energy lands a $20 million federal award to build its fusion magnet production linehttps://techcrunch.com/2026/07/27/thea-energy-lands-20m-federal-grant-to-build-its-magnets-for-fusion-reactors/3. Europe delivers a new fuel source for JT-60SAhttps://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/jt60sa-fuel-source-centrifuge-accelerator-f4e-sener/4. DOE announces the first Genesis Mission awards supporting AI-driven fusion researchhttps://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/doe-announces-first-genesis-mission-awards-supporting-ai-driven-fusion-research/5. UKAEA supports fusion inclusion into postgraduate educationhttps://www.ukaea.org/news/supporting-fusion-inclusion-into-postgraduate-education/Bonus stories:ITER upper launcher design ready for manufacturinghttps://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/iter-upper-launcher-design-ready-for-manufacturing/The Energy Gang: Is fusion power here at last?https://www.woodmac.com/podcasts/energy-gang/can-fusion-finally-deliver/

Carli Smith, fusion researcher at Kyoto Fusioneering, gives today's global fusion news update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.1. Fusion industry funding hits an annual record https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/global-fusion-energy-annual-investments-hit-record-nearly-45-billion-2026-07-13/ 2. General fusion makes history in the stock markethttps://techcrunch.com/2026/07/13/investors-send-general-fusion-soaring-in-debut-as-first-publicly-traded-fusion-company/3.Quantum computers make headway in solving fusion’s fuel problemhttps://phys.org/news/2026-07-quantum-fusion-fuel-material-configurations.html4. Inertia opens world’s first fusion factory to commercialize inertial confinement fusionhttps://www.axios.com/pro/climate-deals/2026/07/13/inertia-fusion-facility-livermoreBonus stories:General Atomics Secures California Tax Credit for San Diego Fusion Blanket Test Facilityhttps://newatlas.com/energy/general-atomics-test-key-fusion-reactor-component/