Fusion News

Abdus Shaik, Co-Founder of Indimaj Group, gives this week’s global Fusion News update. Links to all of the stories mentioned are included below.

1. The Fusion Industry Association strengthens dies with Japan, as Germany and Japan announce new fusion partnerships

https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/fia-leads-fusion-trade-mission-to-japan/

2. The UK’s MAST Upgrade receives a massive heating boost

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/giant-12-tonne-box-lowered-into-place-for-fusion-upgrade

3. ITER successfully tests one of the world’s largest superconducting magnets at 34,000 amperes

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/iter-330-tonne-toroidal-field-coil-34ka-test

4. MIT tests flat superconducting magnet designed to simplify next-gen fusion reactors

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/thea-energy-mit-stellarator-magnet-test

Bonus story:

US commits $8.5m to accelerate commercial fusion energy development

https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/us-commits-8-5m-to-accelerate-commercial-fusion-energy/75360/

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 magnets

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-reactor-hits-world-first-1-kev-milestone

2. Germany launches fusion milestone programme

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/germany-launches-fusion-milestone-programme/

3. Scientists may have found a shortcut to fusion energy

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/10/261008005242.htm

4. Department of Commerce Announces Letters of Intent With 4 Companies for $389 Million of R&D Awards to Strengthen America’s Energy Semiconductor Supply Chain

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2026/10/department-commerce-announces-letters-intent-4-companies-389-million-rd

5. Hephaestus raises £12.8m to advance rare-earth-free fusion technology

https://nstartup.me/news/1e9eeedf-4c6a-47f0-9acb-adff172deddd

Bonus stories:

IPP, Columbia University establish international fusion research center

https://www.ans.org/news/article-8507/ipp-columbia-university-establish-international-fusion-research-center/

Interview: The Fusion Future with Dennis Whyte | Particles of Thought

https://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 ARC

https://cfs.energy/news-and-media/commonwealth-fusion-systems-places-largest-single-/

2. ITER receives its final vacuum vessel sector

https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/europes-final-iter-vacuum-vessel-sector-delivered/

3. A bipartisan bill proposes ten billion dollars for fusion

https://trahan.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3850

4. Daedal raises funding for fusion plasma diagnostics

https://www.daedalsystems.com/funding-announcement

Bonus:

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-energy

https://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 milestone

https://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 Summit

https://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 limits

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-gets-50-mw-pulse-upgrade?mc_cid=a9d6340062

4. Proxima Fusion plans Europe’s first high temperature superconducting tape factory

https://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 Lab

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-09-09/fusion-gets-14-billion-bet-energy-source-can-be-commercialized

2. Tokamak Energy completes 13.7T fusion magnet tests

https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/tokamak-energy-completes-137t-fusion-magnet-tests

3. Helical selected for Japanese fusion demonstration project

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/helical-selected-for-japanese-fusion-demonstration-project

4. Tennessee issues licence for fusion plant

https://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 power

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/25/pacific-fusion-next-fusion-machine-could-clear-key-hurdle-to-commercial-power/

2. Kyoto Fusioneering raises $162 million

https://kyotofusioneering.com/en/news/2026/08/24/4350

3. Marathon Fusion tackles one of fusion’s biggest fuel problems

https://heatmap.news/climate-tech/marathon-fusion-lithium-tritium

4. Inertia Enterprises cuts fusion fuel production from days to hours

https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/20/inertia-enterprises-finds-a-way-to-make-its-fusion-fuel-fast/

Bonus stories:

STEP passes 50 fusion patent applications

https://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 Technology

https://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-Technology

2. Fusion energy developer TAE signs helium-3 future fuel supply option agreement

https://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 reality

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/mit-scientists-economic-framework-fusion-power-reality

4. Fusion fuel tech makes commercial leap

https://www.neimagazine.com/news/fusion-fuel-tech-makes-commercial-leap/

5. Latest MAST Upgrade experiments achieve milestones

https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/latest-mast-upgrade-experiments-achieve-milestones

6. Fuse Touts ‘Highest’ Neutron Yield by Any Fusion Company

https://www.powermag.com/fuse-touts-highest-neutron-yield-by-any-fusion-company/

Bonus stories:

Fusion machines benefit from first-ever silver crystal tritium separation

https://interestingengineering.com/energy/nuclear-fusion-reactors-get-first-silver-tritium

Fusion energy expert Prof Dennis Whyte appointed next UKAEA CEO

https://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 funding

https://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 line

https://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-60SA

https://fusionforenergy.europa.eu/news/jt60sa-fuel-source-centrifuge-accelerator-f4e-sener/

4. DOE announces the first Genesis Mission awards supporting AI-driven fusion research

https://www.fusionindustryassociation.org/doe-announces-first-genesis-mission-awards-supporting-ai-driven-fusion-research/

5. UKAEA supports fusion inclusion into postgraduate education

https://www.ukaea.org/news/supporting-fusion-inclusion-into-postgraduate-education/

Bonus stories:

ITER upper launcher design ready for manufacturing

https://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/