The U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) announced a $135 million investment in fusion, marking the largest in its history, and more than it has invested in fusion over the past 12 years combined ($134M). The funding, to be deployed over multiple programs in the next 18 months, aims to accelerate commercially viable fusion power.
As a leader in fusion energy research and development since 2014, ARPA-E has had a significant impact on fusion energy development in the United States.
Magnetic confinement: Plasma is heated to 100 million °C or more, then squeezed and held in place by strong magnetic fields, allowing many fusion reactions to occur. (Example: tokamaks, stellarators)
Inertial confinement: Tiny fuel pellets are struck by powerful lasers. The outer layer explodes outward, compressing the core to fusion conditions for a few nanoseconds, producing a brief but intense pulse of energy from each pellet. (Example: National Ignition Facility)
Hybrid systems: Combine compression (e.g., from lasers, plasma pistons, or mechanical impact) with moderate magnetic fields to reduce energy losses and improve confinement.
Electrostatic fusion: Uses high electric potentials to accelerate ions toward a central reaction zone, causing them to collide at high energies and fuse. The ions are guided and confined by electric fields rather than magnets, creating a compact environment for fusion reactions.