The U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources will host a hearing on fusion energy technology development and commercialization efforts on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 366 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC.
Fusion will provide reliable, carbon-free electricity for an expanding global economy. That will have profound geopolitical consequences.
On September 9, former Italian Prime Minister and ex-President of the European Central Bank (ECB), Mario Draghi, released the much-anticipated report on the future of European competitiveness. Tasked by the European Commission to draft this report, Draghi provides concrete recommendations to address the EU’s declining growth and boost its global competitiveness. The report fits into Von der Leyen’s broader agenda to modernize the EU economy, promote strategic autonomy, and enhance its industrial resilience against global pressures.
Fusion is one of the most potentially beneficial and technologically challenging industries in the world. The realization of a commercially viable fusion power plant demands the integration of some of the most cutting-edge technologies available today. Among these, digital technologies — such as artificial intelligence — are revolutionizing industries globally, and the fusion industry is no exception.
Japanese start-up Helical Fusion aims to launch its steady-state fusion machine in 2034 and to begin commercial operations in the 2040s.
UK start-up Tokamak Energy is supporting a US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program to make silent marine propulsion a reality. The collaboration with Darpa is one of several ways the fusion company is seeking to monetize high temperature superconductor magnets, which could transform sectors from public transport to medical imaging.
The country has ambitious plans for fusion power plants to provide clean, limitless energy.
The goal of limitless clean energy is now clearly on the horizon, thanks to AI accelerating research.
There’s a reason they call a seemingly impossible technological reach a “moonshot.” Over the years, the term has been used to refer to virtual reality, self-driving cars, and biometric identification such as DNA fingerprinting. Now, it’s fusion’s turn.
On August 8, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded $4.6 million in 17 public-private partnership awards through the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program, further driving fusion acceleration by collaboration between industry, national labs, and universities.