In the News — 2025
October 21, 2025
Legislation bolsters state’s role in global innovation
Two landmark bills have been signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom, with new funding also announced to strengthen the state’s leadership in quantum computing and fusion energy – two cutting-edge fields expected to shape the global economy for decades to come. (Oakdale Leader)
October 20, 2025
The race to build a star on Earth
Over the past five years, private sector funding for fusion energy has exploded, with the total invested is approaching $10-billion. (Tech Central)
October 17, 2025
Blue Laser Fusion in Goleta Looks to Harness Nuclear Fusion’s Powerful Potential
Nobel Prize–Winning UCSB Professor Shuji Nakamura’s Company Developing New Laser-Powered Tech That Could Lead to Efficient, Endless Source of Energy. (Santa Barbara Independent)
October 17, 2025
The US has a new roadmap for fusion energy, without the funds to back it up
The Department of Energy (DOE) released a new roadmap for the US to realize the decades-long dream of harnessing fusion energy. (The Verge)
October 13, 2025
Company reaches pivotal milestone in delivering 'limitless' energy to the grid
First Light Fusion, the U.K.'s only inertial fusion company, has devised a way to create "high gain" inertial fusion for the first time. (The Cool Down)
October 13, 2025
Feature: Laser fusion's light-bulb moment nears reality
Australia's HB11 are closing in on a laser fusion breakthrough. (Energy News Bulletin)
October 9, 2025
Newsom Approves McNerney Bill, Extends Tax Incentives for Clean-Energy Industries
A California tax-incentive program will continue to support clean-energy industries, at least through the beginning of 2028, following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signing of Senate Bill (SB) 86 last week. (The Independent)
October 9, 2025
Supporting Fusion Power and Clean Energy Must Be State’s Goal To Help Mitigate Climate-Change Effects
Livermore, where the scientists at the National Ignition Facility first demonstrated a fusion reaction that produced more energy than it took to initiate the reaction, would have been a better choice for us, obviously. And we hope that in the future, fusion energy startups will choose the Tri-Valley for its proximity to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (The Independent)
October 8, 2025
Newsom Approves Caballero-Backed Plan for Fusion Energy
A new statewide fund will push research into the elusive energy source that, if successful, could nearly provide power rivaling that of the sun. (GV Wire)
October 8, 2025
Path Integral Monte Carlo simulation twist helps decipher ‘warm dense matter’
A new twist on a computational approach helps simulate warm dense matter—an exotic state that combines solid, liquid, and gaseous phases—and may advance laser-driven inertial confinement fusion and materials research. (Laser Focus World)
October 7, 2025
Bringing Fusion Energy To The Grid: The Next Frontier In Clean Power Transition
Recent scientific milestones have reignited optimism in fusion’s future. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved net energy gain in laboratory experiments, while advances in superconducting magnets at MIT have accelerated private sector participation. (Solar Quarter)
October 7, 2025
Bringing Fusion Energy To The Grid: The Next Frontier In Clean Power Transition
Recent scientific milestones have reignited optimism in fusion’s future. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved net energy gain in laboratory experiments, while advances in superconducting magnets at MIT have accelerated private sector participation. (Solar Quarter)
October 7, 2025
Bringing Fusion Energy To The Grid: The Next Frontier In Clean Power Transition
Recent scientific milestones have reignited optimism in fusion’s future. The National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved net energy gain in laboratory experiments, while advances in superconducting magnets at MIT have accelerated private sector participation. (Solar Quarter)
October 6, 2025
Two Weeks, One Challenge, Lifelong Impact: Bobcats Dive into Data Science Challenge
Chau experienced a turning point in thinking about her future, she said, when LLNL Director Kimberly Budil visited the participants and told them how scientists at the laboratory’s National Ignition Facility had achieved fusion ignition after decades of trial, error and scientific grit. (UC Merced News)
October 2, 2025
Nuclear fusion, the ‘holy grail’ of power, was always 30 years away—now it’s a matter of when, not if, fusion comes online to power AI
The breakthrough scientific moment for fusion power—and the potential for nearly limitless electricity from a so-called star in a jar—came at the end of 2022 when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully achieved “first ignition,” fusing atoms through extreme heat to generate more energy than the setup consumes for the first time ever. (Fortune)
October 2, 2025
Bill Gates: ‘The Future of Energy Is Subatomic’
Although they learned a ton about the science in the process, fusion power remained elusive—until 2022. That’s when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved what is called “ignition”: the moment when heat from the fusion process helped sustain the reaction, a key step toward commercial fusion energy’s requirement of releasing more energy that was put in. (Power)
October 2, 2025
Pacific Fusion to open $1 billion campus in New Mexico
Pacific Fusion said its demonstration system is designed to “deliver 100-fold higher facility gain at 10-fold lower cost than the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a 1,000-fold leap in practical fusion performance.” (ExchangeMonitor)
October 2, 2025
Tim Talk: Livermore misses on fusion campus
The plan calls for it to produce net power by 2030, quite an ambitious goal given the 60-plus years and multiple facilities it took Lawrence Livermore to produce fusion with the National Ignition Facility. Possibly, it could be like the 4-minute mile that was surpassed by many runners once Roger Bannister achieved it. (Pleasanton Weekly)
October 1, 2025
Livermore, Alameda lose new $1 billion nuclear fusion site to Albuquerque
Livermore boasted of close proximity to expert scientists and resources at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory that previously shook up the nuclear science world in 2022 when they used fusion to recreate the power of the sun – a world first. (San Jose Mercury News)
October 1, 2025
Albuquerque to host major fusion hub
S fusion start-up Pacific Fusion has selected Albuquerque, New Mexico, as the site for its first Research and Manufacturing Campus while its headquarters, including three R&D campuses, will remain in California. (Nuclear Engineering International)
October 1, 2025
China's Artificial Sun Project Nears Net Positive Energy Milestone
China just advanced another pawn in the high stakes international battle to achieve commercial nuclear fusion. (OilPrice.com)
October 1, 2025
German government: world's first fusion power plant to be built in Germany
The Federal Cabinet wants to put Germany on the path to a fusion power plant. By 2029, over 2 billion euros are to be invested in relevant research. (Heise Online)
September 30, 2025
Former LLNL, Los Alamos director Anastasio receives 2025 Foster Medal for nuclear security leadership
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Director Kim Budil announced today that Michael R. Anastasio is the recipient of the 2025 John S. Foster Jr. Medal. (R&D World)
September 29, 2025
Pacific Fusion to open facility in New Mexico
Pacific Fusion said the Demonstration System is designed to "deliver 100-fold higher facility gain at 10-fold lower cost than the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a 1,000-fold leap in practical fusion performance." (World Nuclear News)
September 28, 2025
Livermore loses out on $1B fusion facility as company chooses Albuquerque
Livermore has found itself at the center of fusion innovation since scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility achieved fusion ignition – also known as a scientific energy breakever – for the first time in human history in December 2022. (Livermore Vine)
September 28, 2025
$1B Fusion Lab Headed to Albuquerque — Is Clean Energy on the Horizon?
LeChien notes this design aims for “100-fold higher facility gain at 10-fold lower cost than” existing experiments like Livermore’s National Ignition Facility. (Tech Space 2.0)
September 26, 2025
Pacific Fusion chooses Albuquerque for $1 billion nuclear fusion site
While nuclear fusion has not yet been commercialized like other renewable energies — think solar and wind — von Muench said multiple breakthroughs have changed what’s possible in the fusion field, the first being when researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory demonstrated controlled fusion ignition. (Albuquerque Journal)
September 26, 2025
Exclusive: Pacific Fusion on why they chose ABQ for $1 billion fusion research campus
Pacific Fusion is bringing a $1 billion fusion energy campus to Albuquerque, adding more than 200 permanent high-paying jobs, nearly 1,000 construction jobs, and new momentum for New Mexico’s push to become a national leader in advanced energy technology. (City Desk ABQ)
September 26, 2025
Amid Skepticism, Cold Fusion Experiments Heat Up Again
A Canadian study has reignited interest in creating cold fusion, a form of nuclear energy achieved at room temperature. (EE Power)
September 25, 2025
Is nuclear fusion for real this time? These utilities think so.
Nearly three years ago, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory hit a major milestone for fusion power. (MIT Technology Review)
September 25, 2025
First Light unveils novel approach to fusion
Gain has long been the missing link to full-scale commercial fusion. The current record gain level stands at 4, achieved at the US Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) in May. (Nuclear Engineering International)
September 25, 2025
Is nuclear fusion for real this time? These utilities think so
Three years after a vital scientific breakthrough, Dominion Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority have struck deals with nuclear fusion startups. Some experts remain skeptical. (Utility Dive)
September 24, 2025
Scientists are able to study 'liquid carbon' in the lab for the first time ever
In 2022, the National Ignition Facility reported ignition, meaning a fusion shot produced more energy than the lasers delivered to the target. Better knowledge of liquid carbon helps refine the compression stage that sets up those shots. (Earth.com)
September 23, 2025
Fusion Industry Seeks $10 Billion Injection of Federal Money
U.S. efforts to develop fusion power technologies need a $10 billion influx to accelerate commercialization and stay ahead of China, an industry representative told the House Science Committee at a hearing last week. (FYI: Science Policy News)
September 23, 2025
UK firm presents 1,000 net-positive nuclear fusion energy gain pathway
Pointing to the current record gain of 4 achieved at the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in May 2025, First Light Fusion estimates that a gain of at least 200 is needed for fusion to be commercially competitive, while a gain of 1,000 could deliver power at exceptionally low cost with the FLARE model offering a cheaper development pathway. (Power Engineering International)
September 23, 2025
First Light Fusion unveils a reactor pathway to a gain of 1,000
First Light Fusion presents FLARE, an inertial fusion concept targeting a gain of 1,000, with development costs said to be well below current benchmarks thanks to existing technologies and a deployment model based on partnerships. (Energy News)
September 23, 2025
FLARE: A proposed high gain approach for fusion energy
United Kingdom-based First Light Fusion (FLF) has presented a path to the first commercially viable, reactor-compatible path to nuclear fusion that will reduce the cost of a clean energy source. (Interesting Engineering)
September 23, 2025
FLARE gains promise for fusion
First Light Fusion (FLF) has published what it says is the first commercially viable, reactor-compatible pathway for high gain inertial fusion which is seen as a critical step toward delivering affordable fusion energy at scale. (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining)
September 23, 2025
First Light Fusion presents commercially viable pathway to achieve high-gain fusion power
UK-based First Light Fusion (FLF), a spin-off from Oxford University, has unveiled a new route to commercially viable fusion power based on an innovative high-gain inertial fusion approach. (Inspenet)
September 22, 2025
Eni strikes more than $1 billion power deal with US fusion firm Commonwealth
Italian energy company Eni (ENI.MI), opens new tab said on Monday it struck a more than $1 billion power purchase with Commonwealth Fusion System's project in Virginia that the companies hope by the early 2030s will generate electricity through the reaction that fires the sun. (Reuters)
September 22, 2025
First Light Fusion presents novel approach to fusion
British inertial fusion energy developer First Light Fusion has presented the first commercially viable, reactor-compatible path to 'high gain' fusion, which it says would drastically reduce the cost of what the company says is a limitless clean energy source. (World Nuclear News)
September 22, 2025
Energy Secretary Sees Fusion Power on the Horizon
Energy Secretary Chris Wright has said he believes the United States could be harnessing fusion energy electricity in the next decade. (The Well News)
September 22, 2025
An oil and gas giant signed a $1 billion deal with Commonwealth Fusion Systems
The power purchase agreement makes Eni the second major customer for Commonwealth’s first commercial fusion power plant. (MIT Technology Review)
September 22, 2025
UK’s First Light Fusion Claims Breakthrough Pathway To High-Gain Fusion
UK-based nuclear fusion company First Light Fusion has set out what it says is the first "reactor-compatible" pathway to high-gain inertial fusion energy (IFE), a potential breakthrough that could enable commercially viable, low-cost fusion power. (NucNet)
September 22, 2025
China Is Desperate to Dominate Nuclear Fusion
Fusion has been researched by academic institutions and government laboratories since the 1950s, with significant breakthroughs in 2022—including Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility completing a nuclear fusion reaction that produced more energy than used to power the experiment—spurring rapid, exponential advancements since. (OilPrice.com)
September 20, 2025
France Just Set A Nuclear Fusion Reactor World Record - And Here's How/
Nuclear fusion breakthroughs often make headlines for record temperatures or net-energy experiments, like the U.S. National Ignition Facility's 2022 milestone or the U.K.'s Joint European Torus generating 59 megajoules over five seconds. WEST's achievement is different: instead of raw power output, it demonstrated longevity and resilience. (SlashGear)
September 20, 2025
Oxfordshire firm unveils viable path to cheap fusion energy
University of Oxford spin-out First Light Fusion has developed a reactor-compatible approach to high-gain inertial fusion that could make large-scale fusion power a reality. (This is Oxfordshire)
September 20, 2025
Startup launches ambitious project to harness energy source that mimics the Sun: 'We're at a crucial tipping point'
In a statement, the company said it has secured nearly 200 patents and a first-of-its-kind partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where Kritcher helped lead the experiment that produced the world's first fusion ignition in December 2022. (The Cool Down)
September 20, 2025
US Utility’s Fusion Moonshot: Betting Billions on “Star Power” to Fuel the AI Era
Every major fusion milestone generates buzz: when U.S. scientists achieved a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time in December 2022 (at Lawrence Livermore’s laser-driven NIF facility), it was hailed as a historic breakthrough. (Tech Space 2.0)
September 19, 2025
Scientists make incredible breakthrough after aiming almost 200 lasers at tiny target: 'Far more powerful'
In 2022, scientists at California's Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory had a historic scientific breakthrough when they managed to achieve fusion "ignition" for the very first time. (The Cool Down)
September 19, 2025
Government funding needed in the race for fusion energy, panel says
A panel of nuclear fusion experts urged a subcommittee of the House Science Committee Thursday to support a major investment in nuclear fusion in order to keep up with China. (Exchange Monitor)
September 19, 2025
First Light Fusion Launches Game-Changing FLARE Method
First Light Fusion, a University of Oxford spin-out, has published what it describes as the first commercially viable and reactor-compatible fusion route to high-gain inertial fusion – a step it says could accelerate the delivery of affordable fusion power at scale. (Eureka!)
September 19, 2025
Is first commercial fusion plant on its way?
The current world record is four, achieved at the US National Ignition Facility. First Light’s modelling shows FLARE could reach an extraordinary gain of 1,000, far above the estimated 200 needed for cost-competitive electricity. (Energy News Live)
September 19, 2025
Oxford spin-out First Light Fusion seeks backing for inertial fusion demonstrator
First Light Fusion believes it can drive down the costs of nuclear fusion but it needs £150m for a demonstration facility. (Energy Voice)
September 18, 2025
Tri-Valley economy hits $52 billion
The Tri-Valley’s expanding economy and quality work force were spotlighted Sept. 11 when the San Francisco Business Times partnered with Innovation Tri-Valley for their annual event at the Bishop Ranch conference center. (Pleasanton Weekly)
September 18, 2025
US lab opens door for plasma jets to skip lasers for nuclear fusion breakthrough
LANL researchers have been actively working on nuclear fusion technology. In another development, a research team led by LANL, in collaboration with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), successfully achieved fusion ignition in an experiment that incorporated a new diagnostic platform. (Interesting Engineering)
September 18, 2025
ORNL Pellet Injector: W7-X Fusion Record | Fusion Energy News
A key milestone in the pursuit of fusion energy is achieving a high “triple product,” an important metric. (Newsylist)
September 17, 2025
US nuclear fusion builders fired up by Big Tech investments
Surging power demand for AI and computing has reignited nuclear power development and could help make nuclear fusion plants a reality. (Communications Today)
September 17, 2025
Nuclear Fusion Heats Up: Six Stocks Positioning for the Energy Breakthrough
Nuclear fusion is rapidly emerging as the holy grail of the global energy transition. (NAI 500)
September 16, 2025
Livermore Lab Physicist Hye-Sook Park Wins Teller Award
The award recognizes her pioneering experimental work in high energy density at National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Livermore in high-pressure materials science, inertial confinement fusion and astrophysical collisionless shock generation, including the resulting particle acceleration and magnetic field generation. (Inside HPC)
September 16, 2025
See How Fusion Energy Could Power the Future
Experiments in 2022 at NIF—the most famous inertial confinement facility—provided proof of concept. (Scientific American)
September 16, 2025
US nuclear fusion builders fired up by Big Tech investments
Surging power demand for AI and computing has reignited nuclear power development and could help make nuclear fusion plants a reality. (Reuters)
September 16, 2025
Taylor Series Improves Path Integral Monte Carlo Simulations, Addressing the Fermion Sign Problem
Experiments at the National Ignition Facility and studies involving x-ray scattering confirm the strong connection to real-world applications. (Quantum Zeitgeist)
September 15, 2025
Scientists make incredible breakthrough after aiming powerful lasers at diamond: 'An inherently brittle material'
The data collected in this study can be used to further research at institutions like the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, per Interesting Engineering. (The Cool Down)
September 15, 2025
ORNL Selected to Lead 3 Fusion Research Projects
The Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been selected to lead three research collaborations with fusion industry partners as part of the 2025 cohort of the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy program, or INFUSE. (Inside HPC)
September 14, 2025
A Billion-Dollar Nuclear Facility May be Coming Soon to Livermore
Livermore is already on the world map for fusion thanks to LLNL’s National Ignition Facility achieving repeated ignition shots — proof that the physics can work at small scales — and Pacific Fusion’s approach draws on related science while pursuing a pulsed-magnetic path rather than giant lasers. (Bay Area Telegraph)
September 14, 2025
Are We On The Threshold Of Commercial Fusion?
The first reported breakthrough came in late 2022 when 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) converged on a small gold cylinder that contained a tiny bead of fuel composed of isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium. (Tipp Insights)
September 13, 2025
Los Alamos Scientists Achieve Fusion Ignition Using THOR Window System Creating Self-Sustaining Burning Plasma
This development at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a crucial step in harnessing fusion energy, which holds the promise of providing a clean, virtually limitless power source. (Energy Reporters)
September 12, 2025
Nuclear Fusion Breakthroughs: Potential for Global Energy Revolution
The recent breakthroughs, achieved at facilities like the Joint European Torus (JET) in the UK and, more recently, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, represent a pivotal shift, moving fusion from theoretical possibility to demonstrable scientific achievement. (World Today News)
September 12, 2025
Nuclear fusion will soon power the world
NIF’s December 2022 experiment, though requiring a hefty energy input to initiate, proved the fundamental physics is sound – a feeling like cracking open a really, really tough nut. (Memesita)
September 11, 2025
Livermore City Council Approves Startup Pacific Fusion’s Demonstration Project
“We created the sun in this city; we had ignition breakthrough,” Vice Mayor Evan Branning said, referring to the 2022 fusion ignition achievement of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility (NIF). “This is the place to be for Pacific Fusion. (The Independent)
September 11, 2025
Rubin Observatory Excites Scientists Around the World
“Over decades, Lawrence Livermore has established expertise in building large optics in support of the National Ignition Facility (NIF),” said Vincent Riot, project manager at LLNL from 2016 to 2023. Like the LSST camera, NIF required very large mirrors and optics that were extremely precise and required special mounting. (The Independent)
September 10, 2025
US nuclear fusion builders fired up by Big Tech investments
Boosted by Big Tech's power needs, nuclear fusion developers are working to overcome design challenges crucial to commercial deployment. (Reuters Events)
September 10, 2025
New Book Chronicles Optics Key to Ignition
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is a chandelier "holding a system of high-precision optics," according to a newly published book. (Mirage News)
September 9, 2025
Global R&D group collaborates to deliver laser expertise to Starfire energy project
The Starfire Hub – an initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop fusion energy solutions under the leadership of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory – has announced the addition of five new members to its Diode Technology Working Group. (Photonics World)
September 9, 2025
Are We on the Threshold of Commercial Fusion?
The first reported breakthrough came in late 2022 when 192 lasers at the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory converged on a small gold cylinder that contained a tiny bead of fuel composed of isotopes of hydrogen, deuterium, and tritium. (RealClear Energy)
September 9, 2025
University of Arizona joins STARFIRE Hub for inertial fusion energy
The University of Arizona has joined a national, multi-institution research hub to advance the manufacturing technologies required for achieving the benefits of fusion – a safe and sustainable energy source. (University of Arizona News)
September 8, 2025
Nuclear Fusion: 5 Ways to Invest in the Energy Breakthrough
In December 2022, researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility in California conducted a controlled nuclear fusion experiment that, for the first time, produced more energy than was delivered by the lasers used to initiate it. (U.S. News & World Report)
September 8, 2025
America’s Most Powerful Laser Fires Its First 2-Petawatt Shot
Reaching 2 petawatts of power, the NSF-funded ZEUS facility at the University of Michigan supports research with potential benefits for medicine, national security, materials science, and other fields. (SciTechDaily)
September 5, 2025
Livermore To Vote On Billion-Dollar Nuclear Fusion Research Facility
Livermore is already a center of fusion energy research. In 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory made international headlines by producing more energy in a fusion reaction than was used to ignite it, an elusive goal known as "net energy gain." (Patch)
September 5, 2025
Coherent joins Lawrence Livermore fusion energy working group
Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR) announced its membership in the Diode Technology Working Group within the STARFIRE Hub, a collaborative initiative led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to accelerate the development of inertial fusion energy. (StreetInsider.com)
September 5, 2025
Coherent joins STARFIRE hub to advance fusion energy diode technology
Photonics company Coherent Corp. (NYSE:COHR), which has shown strong momentum with a 33% price return over the past six months, has joined the Diode Technology Working Group within the STARFIRE Hub, a collaborative initiative led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) focused on advancing inertial fusion energy (IFE) development. (Investing.com)
September 5, 2025
Nuclear Fusion: an expensive, unnecessary distraction
OPINION – Nuclear fusion: the phrase raises goosebumps on the skin of eager investors, salivating at the potential payout of being part of an effort to provide limitless, clean energy. (Capitol Weekly)
September 2, 2025
Fusion will transform the energy sector
California’s fusion ecosystem is the largest in the nation. World-leading federal research facilities like the DIII-D National Fusion Facility (located in San Diego) and the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are some of the primary drivers of our fusion innovation system. (Capitol Weekly)
September 1, 2025
Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M
Over the last several years, fusion power has gone from the butt of jokes — always a decade away! — to an increasingly tangible and tantalizing technology that has drawn investors off the sidelines. (TechCrunch)
September 1, 2025
US government lab makes breakthrough that sounds like something from Marvel: 'Game-changing'
A fusion energy breakthrough in a government lab sounds like something out of a movie or a Marvel Comics book. (The Cool Down)
August 28, 2025
A national lab made a nuclear fusion breakthrough. A new startup wants to make it into a power plant
Inertia plans to commercialize a recent breakthrough from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—attempting to make it work at a scale that would add power to the grid. (Fast Company)
August 28, 2025
Startup looks to commercialize inertial fusion energy
Another startup hoping to capitalize on progress the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has made in realizing inertial fusion energy has been launched. (Nuclear News)
August 28, 2025
Inertia Enterprises formed to commercialize fusion energy
Inertia Enterprises, a private fusion power start-up, based in San Francisco, CA., has announced the formation of the company, co-founded by fusion energy pioneer Dr. Andrea “Annie” Kritcher, fusion power plant designer Prof. Mike Dunne, and successful tech entrepreneur, Jeff Lawson. (Optics.org)
August 28, 2025
Bottling the Sun: Why nuclear fusion is now an engineering challenge
Despite the challenges, progress has been steady. In 2022, researchers at the U.S. National Ignition Facility announced a landmark result: for the first time, a fusion experiment produced more energy than the lasers required to spark it, a milestone known as “ignition.” (The Indian Express)
August 27, 2025
Jeff Lawson and fusion scientists launch startup Inertia
The team plans to turn the fusion breakthroughs at the National Ignition Facility into commercial power plants. (Axios)
August 27, 2025
Deuterium fusion rates improved with innovative benchtop reactor
Massive fusion projects like ITER in France and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States focus on achieving net energy gain with giant machines and enormous budgets. (Earth.com)
August 26, 2025
Looks like nuclear fusion is picking up steam
Nuclear fusion is on the upswing, as more companies pile into the space to achieve what’s often described as the Holy Grail of clean energy, according to an updated map from the Clean Air Task Force (CATF). (The Verge)
August 26, 2025
A Tiny Diamond Defect Could Be Blocking Fusion Breakthroughs
Extreme fusion temperatures are warping diamond fuel capsules, and that means researchers may need to rethink their designs, according to new research. (Gizmodo)
August 26, 2025
Los Alamos Ignites With THOR System As X-Ray Windows Unlock Secrets Of Energy And Power
The recent achievement of fusion ignition at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), marks a significant advancement in fusion energy research. (Energy Reporters)
August 25, 2025
Scientists used AI model to anticipate fusion success ahead of experiment
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory employed a deep learning model to forecast the outcome of the December 2022 fusion ignition experiment at their National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Digital Watch Observatory)
August 24, 2025
US scientists decode diamond fusion fuel capsules’ flaws to maximize energy output
The study is relevant to research at facilities like the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where inertial confinement fusion is studied as a potential energy source. (Interesting Engineering)
August 21, 2025
Planning Commission Gives Approval for Pacific Fusion
Fusion-power startup Pacific Fusion last week secured unanimous approval from the Livermore Planning Commission to build a 225,000-square-foot fusion demonstration facility on 14 acres along West Jack London Boulevard immediately south of the Livermore Municipal Airport. (The Independent)
August 20, 2025
New AI model advances fusion power research by predicting the success of experiments
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have developed a deep learning model that accurately predicted the results of a nuclear fusion experiment conducted in 2022. (Techcratic)
August 20, 2025
New AI model advances fusion power research by predicting the success of experiments
In a paper published in Science, researchers describe how their AI model predicted with a probability of 74% that ignition was the likely outcome of a small 2022 fusion experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Phys.org)
August 20, 2025
WTW sees insurance shaping future of fusion energy
The US National Ignition Facility achieved a breakthrough in 2022 when it generated more energy from a fusion reaction than was supplied by lasers, a milestone called ignition. Scaling this success into continuous, grid-ready power remains a challenge. (Insurance Business)
August 19, 2025
Fusion research advances with 2PP for ignition capsule fabrication
A collaborative team involving LLNL, LANL, GA and the NIF leveraged UpNano's 3D printer for laser concentration inertial confinement fusion. (VoxelMatters)
August 19, 2025
This AI Model Predicts Whether Fusion Power Experiments Will Work
In a new paper in Science, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory outline a generative machine learning model that they used to predict a 74 percent chance the experiment at the US National Ignition Facility would lead to net energy gain. (Singularity Hub)
August 18, 2025
Physicist models new use for nuclear waste: Turning it into super-rare fusion fuel
Deuterium-deuterium fusion reactor designs do exist, but they're even more experimental than D-T units, one of which was used at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility in its 2022 nuclear fusion breakthrough. (The Register.)
August 18, 2025
A New AI Model Could Help Scientists Speed Up the Quest for Nuclear Fusion
While the timeline for this breakthrough is still uncertain, scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have developed a new artificial intelligence model that is smarter than all other previous prediction tools. (Inc.)
August 15, 2025
New AI Model May Predict Success Of Future Fusion Experiments, Saving Money And Fuel
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have announced that a new artificial intelligence (AI) model accurately predicted the results of a nuclear fusion experiment conducted in 2022. (IFL Science)
August 15, 2025
US AI hits 70% accuracy in predicting nuclear fusion, beating supercomputers
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) utilized a deep learning model to predict the outcome of an inertial confinement fusion experiment conducted at the National Ignition Facility. (Interesting Engineering)
August 15, 2025
Los Alamos, Lawrence Livermore National Labs Achieve Fusion Ignition With Groundbreaking Approach
A Los Alamos National Laboratory-led team working in conjunction with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has achieved ignition using the National Ignition Facility. (Los Alamos Reporter)
August 14, 2025
Scientists Taught AI to Predict Nuclear Fusion Success—and It’s Actually Working
Researchers at the National Ignition Facility achieved nuclear fusion ignition with the help of an AI program that essentially told them they were on the right track. (Gizmodo)
August 14, 2025
LLNL Artificial Intelligence Agents Create New Fusion Target Design in Milestone Achievement
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in nuclear fusion reached a milestone this month, as AI agents at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) developed a new fusion-target design based on a diagram hand drawn by a human designer. (The Independent)
August 14, 2025
Predicting fusion ignition at the National Ignition Facility with physics-informed deep learning
An inertial confinement fusion experiment, carried out at the National Ignition Facility, has achieved ignition by generating fusion energy exceeding the laser energy that drove the experiment. Prior to the experiment, a generative machine learning model that combines radiation hydrodynamics simulations, deep learning, experimental data, and Bayesian statistics was used to predict, with a probability greater than 70%, that ignition was the most likely outcome for this shot. (Science)
August 14, 2025
Deep Learning Model Accurately Predicts Ignition in Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments
In a groundbreaking advancement for the field of nuclear fusion, researchers led by Brian Spears have successfully developed a generative machine learning model capable of accurately predicting the outcome of inertial confinement fusion experiments at the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Bioengineer.org)
August 14, 2025
Science bombshell: AI predicted a "successful" fusion ignition
This generative machine learning model, constructed by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States, predicted the result of a fusion ignition experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States with a probability of over 70%, indicating "successful ignition." (36Kr)
August 13, 2025
AI speeds up fusion target design
Researchers at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have combined AI with fusion target design by deploying AI agents on two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers to automate and accelerate inertial confinement fusion (IFC) experiments. (Nuclear Engineering International)
August 12, 2025
The 1938 Experiment That Could Open the Door to a Nuclear Fusion Boom
Los Alamos scientists successfully recreated a 1938 experiment, achieving deuterium-tritium fusion at much lower energy levels than modern large-scale tests. (OilPrice.com)
August 8, 2025
There is a global race to make fusion power a reality. India must step up investments soon
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is another initiative. Located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, it uses powerful lasers to compress hydrogen fuel pellets. In December 2022, NIF achieved a historic milestone: a fusion experiment that produced more energy than it was supplied by the lasers — a landmark for inertial confinement fusion. (The Print)
August 6, 2025
Scientists Developed ‘Super Steel’ That Could Take Fusion to the Next Level
To make fusion reactors, we need materials that can withstand its punishing environment, and a new Chinese-made material can survive reactors’ intense conditions. (Popular Mechanics)
August 5, 2025
US nuclear weapons and materials research to be run by AI-driven fusion design
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have achieved a significant breakthrough in fusion research by deploying artificial intelligence (AI) agents on two of the world’s most powerful supercomputers. (Interesting Engineering)
August 5, 2025
Physicists Uncover Long-Forgotten Experiment That Could Shatter Energy Limits Forever
Unlike the high-energy experiments conducted at facilities like the National Ignition Facility, the Los Alamos test was performed at a much lower energy level. (Energy Reporters)
August 5, 2025
National Lab Team Achieves Fusion Ignition Using Sophisticated Diagnostic Tool
A collaborative research team from Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has implemented its Thinned Hohlraum Optimization for Radflow (THOR) window diagnostic tool in its latest ignition experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Photonics Spectra)
August 4, 2025
Scientists create a ‘window’ into the heart of a star with latest fusion ignition breakthrough
A Los Alamos National Laboratory team has advanced inertial-confinement fusion (ICF), a method that uses lasers to compress fuel pellets and trigger nuclear fusion, mimicking the sun’s energy production. (R&D World)
August 4, 2025
Fusion Ignition Achieved With Target That Shouldn’t Have Worked
In a landmark fusion experiment conducted June 22, researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved ignition using a radically altered version of the National Ignition Facility’s (NIF) standard setup. (Science Blog)
August 4, 2025
Breakthrough in Fusion Research: LANL Team Achieves Ignition Using Innovative THOR Technology
In a remarkable advancement in fusion research, a team led by the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), in collaboration with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), has successfully achieved ignition using the National Ignition Facility. (The Ritz Herald)
August 1, 2025
US’ laser-powered nuclear fusion achieves new net-positive energy records: Report
The experiment, conducted on June 22 at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), confirmed that ignition is attainable even when the system is modified to allow X-rays to escape for measurement purposes. (Interesting Engineering)
August 1, 2025
Physicists Revive a Forgotten Experiment with Unquestionable Results!
Physicists at Los Alamos National Laboratory have revived a forgotten experiment from 1938 that might be key to clean energy. (Newz9)
July 30, 2025
https://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2025/07/30/50-over-50-innovation/
Kimberly Budil took the reins of one of the nation’s premier science laboratories—one with a storied history of developing nuclear weapons—in 2021. Since then, she’s overseen the first lab demonstration of a fusion ignition and the lab’s installation of the world’s fastest supercomputer, El Capitan, a $600 million project that began in 2023. (Forbes)
July 29, 2025
Startup begins work on US fusion power plant. Yes, fusion.
In another sign of fusion energy development’s quickening pace, Helion Energy, a startup with $1 billion in private funding, announced Wednesday it has commenced construction of its first planned power production reactor. (E&E News by Politico)
July 28, 2025
“They Just Squeezed a Star in a Lab”: NIF’s 8.6 Megajoule Fusion Blast Smashes Records and Scientists Say “This Is a Turning Point”
In a groundbreaking development that could revolutionize the future of sustainable energy, the National Ignition Facility has achieved a record-breaking fusion energy output, marking a significant step toward realizing the long-sought dream of clean and limitless power. (Visegrád Post)
July 24, 2025
Startup Claims Its Fusion Reactor Concept Can Turn Cheap Mercury Into Gold
Energy startup Marathon Fusion claims to have found a scalable way to turn mercury into gold, but they still have much to prove. (Gizmodo)
July 23, 2025
Inside the top-secret labs that build America’s nuclear weapons
Each experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California—a “shot”—lasts just a few billionths of a second. (The Economist)
July 23, 2025
Physicists Blow Up Gold With Giant Lasers, Accidentally Disprove Renowned Physics Model
For the first time, physicists have directly measured the temperature of extremely hot gold particles using a giant X-ray laser—a breakthrough with major implications for engineering spacecraft or nuclear fusion reactors. (Gizmodo)
July 20, 2025
Star Chasers
The race to achieve nuclear fusion is one of the most consequential technological contests of the century. Who will win it? (The Wire China)
July 19, 2025
China’s Secret Nuclear Fusion Facility Spotted From Space Sparks Global Alarm
This facility is set to exceed the size of America’s National Ignition Facility by 50%, marking a significant shift in global energy research dynamics. (Energy Reporters)
July 17, 2025
A Nuclear Fusion Breakthrough May Be Closer Than You Think
In 2022, scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California achieved a game-changing breakthrough: a fusion reaction that produced more energy than required to start it. (Time)
July 17, 2025
Livermore Company, LLNL Team on Fusion Energy Plant Research
LLNL is working with many of the 40+ companies in the burgeoning fusion startup ecosystem. (The Independent)
July 17, 2025
Answering the big tritium question
Fusion’s demand for tritium is tiny in volume terms, but tritium is the key ingredient to turn fusion reactor designs into reality. Where will it come from? (Nuclear Engineering International)
July 16, 2025
Nuclear fusion company announces potential plans to build $1 billion facility in Albuquerque
The codename: Project Solis. The work: nuclear fusion testing. The cost: $1 billion. The site: Albuquerque? (Albuquerque Journal)
July 10, 2025
Scientists fire most powerful US laser ever—100 times Earth’s total energy usage
The ZEUS laser at the University of Michigan reached 2 petawatts, opening new frontiers in physics, medicine, and particle research. (The Brighter Side of News)
July 9, 2025
China Responds to Reports of Targeting a German Military Aircraft
Earlier this year, satellite imagery revealed what appears to be a large laser-powered fusion research facility under construction in China’s southwestern city of Mianyang.Its design closely resembled that of the $3.5 billion U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Northern California. (Kenya Times)
July 9, 2025
Forgotten for Nearly a Century, a ‘Lost’ Fusion Breakthrough Has Been Unearthed—and Physicists Just Recreated It
In 1938, an experiment by University of Michigan physicist Arthur Ruhlig led to a remarkable accidental discovery: the first recorded observation of deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion. (The Debrief)
July 9, 2025
Scientists just recreated a 1938 experiment that could rewrite fusion history
A Los Alamos collaboration has replicated an important but largely forgotten physics experiment: the first deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion observation. (ScienceDaily)
July 7, 2025
Google signs nuclear fusion power offtake agreement
Google has signed an offtake agreement for 200 MW of power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ (CFS) developing fusion power plant. (Power Engineering)
July 7, 2025
Fusion could be the new 'next big thing' in energy as hyperscalers eye nuclear
While fission has been the exemplar of nuclear energy to date, the fusion sector has seen a recent surge in interest, with global funding exceeding $7.1 billion across 50 startups. (S&P Global)
July 3, 2025
Record-Breaking Results Bring Fusion Power Closer to Reality
Breakthroughs from two rival experiments, Germany’s Wendelstein 7-X and the Joint European Torus, suggest the elusive dream of controlled nuclear fusion may be within reach. (Scientific American)
July 3, 2025
Fusion Startup Eyes Livermore for New Demonstration Site
A proposal to build a fusion-demonstration system in Livermore might soon help bring the world closer to the clean, abundant energy promised by fusion power. (The Independent)
July 3, 2025
China’s fusion breakthrough by 2027 exposes U.S. lag as best reactor aims for 5x output with unmatched construction speed
The race for clean, sustainable energy has become one of the defining global challenges of our time, and nuclear fusion is emerging as one of the most promising solutions. (Glass Almanac)
July 2, 2025
Fusion Energy Market Size to Cross USD 611.81 Billion by 2034
The global fusion energy market reached USD 356.14 billion in 2024 and the is expected to cross around USD 611.81 billion by 2034, growing at a CAGR of over 5.56%. (TimesTech)
July 1, 2025
NuScale Power's Stock Decline: Is Nuclear Fusion the Real Threat to Small Modular Reactors?
Recent advancements in fusion, such as France's record-breaking 22-minute plasma duration and the U.S. National Ignition Facility's net energy gain milestone, have fueled optimism about its potential. (AInvest)
July 1, 2025
SPARC Flies: Google Signs Up for 200-MW Nuclear Fusion of the Future
The theory behind fusion is bringing to human scale the same force powering the sun, but no commercially viable work has been achieved other than experimental breakthroughs by the U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and other entities globally. (EnergyTech)
June 30, 2025
Google strikes deal to buy fusion power from MIT spinoff Commonwealth
Alphabet's (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google said on Monday it has struck a deal to buy power from a project in Virginia fueled by fusion, the reaction that powers the sun and the stars but is not yet commercial on Earth. (Reuters)
June 30, 2025
Livermore eyed for new fusion research facility
A private company working toward the commercialization of fusion energy is currently considering the city of Livermore among the potential sites for its new fusion research facility. (Livermore Vine)
June 30, 2025
Google to buy power from fusion energy startup Commonwealth - if they can ever make it work
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is arguably the closest we've come. (The Register)
June 30, 2025
Google bets on fusion power as its greenhouse gas emissions grow
And so far, only the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has been able to do this. (The Verge)
June 30, 2025
Google Signs Deal to Buy Fusion Energy from Future Virginia Plant
Tech giant Google has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) to buy at least 200 MW of energy from CFS’s planned fusion-based power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia. (Power Magazine)
June 30, 2025
Unlocking the Secrets of Warm Dense Matter: A New Computational Breakthrough
These innovative simulations have been bolstered by experimental work at LLNL, where Dr. Döppner has led efforts to compress beryllium capsules with 192 laser beams at NIF. (Maldankon)
June 27, 2025
Entrepreneurs to Watch 2025: Warren McKenzie
The July/August 2025 issue of Optics & Photonics News featured the magazine’s biennial feature spotlighting 10 Entrepreneurs to Watch. Here, we offer an interview with one of those entrepreneurs, Warren McKenzie, cofounder and managing director of HB11 Energy. (Optics & Photonics News)
June 27, 2025
LANL: Physicists Re-Create Forgotten Experiment Observing Fusion
the deuterium-tritium reaction is at the center of efforts at the National Ignition Facility to harness fusion. (Los Alamos Reporter)
June 26, 2025
Livermore a Leading Contender To Become Bay Area Fusion Hub
Pending state legislation to create three fusion-research hubs in California might soon help establish the state as the world leader in commercial-fusion power, with the City of Livermore positioned as a prime candidate to host one such hub. (The Independent)
June 26, 2025
How Chris Wright is remaking the national labs
The DOE secretary’s proposed budget would slash research programs and boost efforts “to reindustrialize America, to win the race on AI, and to stop the huge upward pressure on electricity prices.” (E&E News by Politico)
June 25, 2025
LASER 2025: Fusion forum highlights supply-chain challenges
Opening the session Constantin Häfner, who spent 15 years working at California’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) fusion demonstrator before becoming director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology (ILT) in 2019, suggested that the the photonics industry was now on a path to “mass-scaling” laser and optics technology for future fusion demands. (Optics.org)
June 25, 2025
Physicists recreate forgotten experiment observing fusion
A Los Alamos collaboration has replicated an important but largely forgotten physics experiment: the first deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion observation. (Phys.org)
June 23, 2025
No one has made fusion power viable yet. Why is Big Tech investing billions?
Breakthroughs in fusion have triggered a frenzied race to harness a clean energy source that has eluded scientists for decades. (Washington Post)
June 23, 2025
Livermore Could Host Billion-Dollar Fusion Energy Research Facility
The city is hosting a town hall Thursday to answer questions about a proposed fusion energy research facility just south of the airport. (Patch)
June 20, 2025
Simulation of capsule implosions during laser fusion wins Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion Outstanding Paper Prize
Computational physicist Jose Milovich of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) and colleagues have been awarded the 2025 Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion (PPCF) Outstanding Paper Prize for their computational research on capsule implosions during laser fusion. (Physics World)
June 19, 2025
Every fusion startup that has raised over $100M
Over the last several years, fusion power has gone from the butt of jokes — always a decade away! — to an increasingly tangible and tantalizing technology that has drawn investors off the sidelines. (TechCrunch)
June 19, 2025
New Players in Photonic Chips, Laser World of Photonics Prepares for Record Attendance
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Amazon Web Services leverage the power of AI to enhance operations at the National Ignition Facility. (Photonics Spectra)
June 19, 2025
Fusion Power’s Tipping Point: Inside the Science, Engineering, and Global Race to Harness a Star
“Nature does not give up her secrets easily.” Such are the sentiments of NIF Senior Scientist John Lindl, summarizing the centuries-long quest to tap nuclear fusion a force that energizes the stars here on Earth. (Modern Engineering Marvels)
June 16, 2025
Another £2.5 billion into fusion but hardly any progress
The government has committed an additional £2.5 billion to the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production (STEP) project, raising fresh questions over the viability of nuclear fusion as a near-term energy solution. (Energy Live News)
June 15, 2025
Major powers are ‘upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions’
A US government photo shows a technician inside the preamplifier support structure of the National Ignition Facility of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (The New Zealand Herald)
June 15, 2025
A primer on nuclear fusion
After more than 60 years of research, The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at U.S. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion ignition in December 2022. (Electronics 360)
June 13, 2025
LLNL, AWS Unveil AI Partnership to Advance National Ignition Facility Operations
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has announced a collaboration with Amazon Web Services to integrate artificial intelligence into the operations of the National Ignition Facility, a center for laser-based fusion research. (ExecutiveGov)
June 13, 2025
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory partners with AWS on AI troubleshooting system
The US' Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) for an AI-driven troubleshooting and reliability system at LLNL's National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Data Center Dynamics)
June 13, 2025
DOE National Labs Launch New AI Tools for Operational Efficiency
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop an AI-driven troubleshooting and reliability system to support its workforce. (GovCIO Media & Research)
June 13, 2025
UK dumps £2.5 billion into fusion pipe dream that's already cost millions
The only known facility to achieve fusion ignition - the point at which the fusion reaction becomes self-sustaining - is the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California. (The Register)
June 12, 2025
Livermore Lab Breaks Fusion Record Again
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) achieved fusion ignition for the eighth time on April 7, producing a net-energy gain from a controlled fusion reaction. (The Independent)
June 12, 2025
LPC and LLNL Join Forces To Offer an Eight-Week Laser-Optics Workshop
Laser and Electronic Optics Technicians (LEOTs), critical to the operation of LLNL’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) and other laser systems, are in short supply. (The Independent)
June 12, 2025
Lawrence Livermore and Amazon Integrate AI at NIF
When Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) conducts a high-energy-density physics experiment, a tremendous amount of high value data is generated in the blink of an eye. (Photonics Spectra)
June 12, 2025
YouTuber Creates "World's Strongest Handheld Laser." It's Capable Of Punching Through Titanium
In several demonstrations, the laser burned through copper, melted titanium, created rubies, melted tungsten, and set a diamond on fire. (IFL Science)
June 12, 2025
LLNL and AWS Partner on AI Integration at the National Ignition Facility
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL)’s National Ignition Facility (NIF) is a data factory — when NIF’s high-energy-density physics experiments go off in the blink of an eye, valuable scientific data is the product. (HPC Wire)
June 11, 2025
AI and Laser Fusion: AWS Integrating Generative Models into Livermore Lab's National Ignition Facility
What will be unique about the AWS AI system is the integration of generative AI capabilities on operations at the federally run ignition facility. The NIF is where Livermore engineers announced a milestone of nuclear fusion ignition in December 2022. (EnergyTech)
June 10, 2025
AWS and national lab team up to deploy AI tools in pursuit of fusion energy
AWS and LLNL’s National Ignition Facility are working together to build an AI-driven troubleshooting and reliability system, and have already deployed generative AI capabilities into the fusion lab’s operations. (GeekWire)
June 8, 2025
U.S. Satellite Spots Mysterious Nuclear Tech Over China That Could Reshape World Power
The central chamber is twice as large as the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF), which was in the news in 2022 for reaching the first net-energy fusion reaction. (Wonderful Engineering)
June 5, 2025
Energy Sec. Wright tours Lawrence Livermore lab
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory celebrated Memorial Day week by hosting Energy Secretary Chris Wright. (Pleasanton Weekly)
June 5, 2025
How AI is playing a major role in national security
America’s national labs have always been at the forefront of scientific developments and breakthroughs, so it should come as no surprise that artificial intelligence is an integral part of their scientific process and American national security. (Scripps News)
June 5, 2025
Xcimer Hires Tech Industry Pioneer and Forms Science and Technology Advisory Board as Inertial Fusion Company Accelerates Growth
Xcimer also announced today the formation of its Science and Technology Advisory Board to review and advise on the company's technical progress, technology, and roadmap for deployment of inertial fusion power plants. (TMCnet News)
June 4, 2025
Driving innovation: The UK’s advancements in plasma science and fusion energy
Dr Kate Lancaster, Chair of the Plasma Physics Group at the Institute of Physics, reflects on the UK’s plasma science landscape, discussing innovative projects, applications, and collaborations that position the country as a leader in the field. (Innovation News Network)
May 29, 2025
Mayor Highlights Scientific Achievements, Budget Success, Quality of Life in Livermore
Mayor John Marchand celebrated Livermore’s historic past and facts that support a prosperous future during the annual State of the City Address on May 22 at Garre Winery. (The Independent)
May 27, 2025
How Powering U.S. Communities With Fusion Can Fight Inflation
Here in California, consider the evidence from the National Ignition Facility (NIF). (Forbes)
May 25, 2025
A New Star in California: How NIF Shattered the Fusion Record
Shortly after 4 a.m. on April 7, 2025, a bank of 192 ultraviolet laser beams raced down the National Ignition Facility’s evacuated beamlines. (Medium)
May 25, 2025
High-power lasers produce liquid carbon for first time, advancing fusion ablator design
Such microscopic insight matters for inertial-confinement fusion (ICF). Present ignition designs, including the National Ignition Facility’s record-setting shot, rely on a high-density carbon (diamond) shell that surrounds and symmetrically compresses a deuterium-tritium target. (Notebook Check)
May 25, 2025
“U.S. Spy Flight Exposes”: China’s Secret Construction of a Massive Fusion Laser That Could Revolutionize Global Energy and Military Power
China's unveiling of a massive laser fusion complex in Mianyang, eclipsing the American National Ignition Facility in scale and ambition, has triggered global intrigue and concern over its potential to revolutionize clean energy and enhance nuclear capabilities. (Visegrád Post)
May 24, 2025
Beyond Displays, Liquid Crystal Optical Devices Harness Rugged Dynamics
Two prominent inertial confinement fusion research facilities in the U.S. — the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester and the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory — use liquid crystal devices. (Photonics Spectra)
May 23, 2025
US Gets World’s Most Powerful Laser at 2 Petawatts
A gymnasium-sized facility at the University of Michigan has just fired the most powerful laser pulse in American history, reaching 2 petawatts—that’s 2 quadrillion watts packed into a beam lasting just 25 quintillionths of a second. (ScienceBlog)
May 23, 2025
Fusion energy explained: Powering the future of clean energy
Nuclear fusion – the process that powers the stars – has long captured the imagination of scientists, engineers, and energy experts alike. (Innovation News Network)
May 22, 2025
AI in Science: How LLNL is Accelerating Discovery with Machine Learning
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is pioneering the integration of artificial intelligence into scientific research, moving beyond simple automation to accelerate breakthrough discoveries. (Quantum Zeitgeist)
May 22, 2025
Livermore Has Reached 4X Times the Energy Gain from Laser Fusion
In April 2025, Lawrence Livermore National lab (LLNL) had its eighth successful ignition experiment and set another record for energy yield, delivering 8.6 MJ from 2.08 MJ of energy to the target and further demonstrating that NIF can repeatedly conduct fusion experiments at multi-megajoule levels of energy output. (Next Big Future)
May 22, 2025
Funding Status of 2.6 Megajoule LLNL Laser Fusion Modification
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is pursuing funding to increase the laser fusion power at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) from 2.2 megajoules (MJ) to 2.6 MJ as part of the Enhanced Yield Capability (EYC) project. (Next Big Future)
May 22, 2025
Laser Fusion Could Get to Commercial Fusion
Lawrence Livermore proved over 4X power gain from laser fusion in April 2025. (Next Big Future)
May 21, 2025
“Scientists Break the Fusion Barrier”: This Record-Busting US Laser Experiment Achieved More Energy Out Than In
The recent breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility, achieving unprecedented net-positive energy gains from fusion experiments, marks a significant milestone in the quest for sustainable, clean energy solutions. (Sustainability Times)
May 21, 2025
Most powerful U.S. laser just hit an astounding 2 petawatts, over 100x the global electricity output
A burst of energy more powerful than any other laser in the United States just fired from the ZEUS facility – at a jaw-dropping 2 petawatts. (Earth.com)
May 21, 2025
US fusion breakthrough reignites global race as Australia risks being left behind
A laser-driven experiment in California has more than doubled its previous fusion energy yield, marking a major breakthrough in the global race to build commercial fusion reactors—while raising fresh warnings that Australia risks being left behind. (Energy News Bulletin)
May 21, 2025
National Ignition Facility reports new energy record in nuclear fusion
Two and a half years ago, the National Ignition Facility, a division of the US research facility Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), made headlines with an energy record in nuclear fusion. Recently, the researchers there have set two more records, as reported by various US media. (Heise Online)
May 21, 2025
This Artificial Sun Sets a New Impressive Record (Infinite energy?)
The National Ignition Facility (NIF), based in California, has made a major breakthrough in the field of nuclear fusion. (3DVF)
May 20, 2025
Advancing Science: ZEUS Laser's Electron Acceleration
The University of Michigan's ZEUS laser facility has conducted its first official experiment at 2 petawatts. This nearly doubles the peak power of any other laser currently operating in the United States. (AZO Optics)
May 20, 2025
ZEUS Becomes Most Powerful Laser in US After Successfully Completing 2 Quadrillion Watt Experiment
A laser cranking out 2 quadrillion watts sounds like it belongs in a Marvel movie, but it’s real, and it’s firing at the University of Michigan’s ZEUS facility. (TechEBlog)
May 19, 2025
Record-Breaking Fusion Lab More Than Doubles Its 2022 Energy Breakthrough
The National Ignition Facility, home of the first net-positive fusion reaction, is back with an even more powerful energy shot. (Gizmodo)
May 19, 2025
Fusion breakthrough: NIF achieves 8.6 megajoules, shattering previous record
While the path to practical fusion energy remains long, the recent advances at the National Ignition Facility have emboldened researchers. The facility's ongoing progress is a testament to decades of persistence – and a sign that the age of controlled fusion ignition is no longer a distant dream. (TechSpot)
May 19, 2025
CELIA: A laboratory at the core of Inertial Confinement Fusion for Energy
The fundamental ICF scheme has been known since the early 1970s. 50 years of scientific and technological progress culminated in December 2022 when the National Ignition Facility (NIF) achieved breakeven, producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy invested in the process. (Innovation News Network)
May 19, 2025
The US has a new most powerful laser
The ZEUS laser facility at the University of Michigan has roughly doubled the peak power of any other laser in the U.S. with its first official experiment at 2 petawatts (2 quadrillion watts). (University of Michigan News)
May 18, 2025
US’ laser-powered nuclear fusion achieves new net-positive energy records: Report
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has reportedly pushed the boundaries of fusion energy and achieved significant increases in power output in its latest experiments. (Interesting Engineering)
May 17, 2025
Laser-powered fusion experiment more than doubles its power output
The world’s only net-positive fusion experiment has been steadily ramping up the amount of power it produces, TechCrunch has learned. (TechCrunch)
May 16, 2025
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory: The future of fusion following ignition
Dave Schlossberg, Experimental Physicist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, explains how scientists at the lab’s National Ignition Facility were able to achieve fusion ignition in 2022, and what this breakthrough meant for their future fusion work. (Innovation News Network)
May 15, 2025
Commonwealth Fusion Systems raises more than $1bn, backed by unnamed hyperscale data center developer
Currently, no company or state has managed to build a fusion reactor that has achieved net power, although Lawrence Livermore researchers have achieved net energy gains in a fusion ignition breakthrough. (Data Center Dynamics)
May 15, 2025
Lem Prize 2024 awarded to German scientist
By using “imaginary time” analysis of X-ray data, scientists can now accurately measure temperatures and other properties. This technique has been adopted at major experimental centres, including the US National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory or SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, as well as Germany's European X-Ray Free Electron Laser and Japan's SPring-8 Angstrom Compact Free Electron Laser. (Wroclaw University News)
May 14, 2025
US firm to build bottle-shaped nuclear reactor with unique ‘magic-mirror’ trick
Realta Fusion, a spin-off from the University of Wisconsin, is hopeful that it will crack the fusion energy puzzle with its innovative bottle-like reactor design. (Interesting Engineering)
May 14, 2025
Why quantum computers could crack security, cure cancer, and rewrite reality
Quantum simulations may also reveal affordable materials for carbon-capture membranes or point to more stable nuclear-fusion plasmas, accelerating efforts like the National Ignition Facility’s record-breaking 2022 shot. (Interesting Engineering)
May 12, 2025
U.S. Naval Research Lab Reprioritizes NIKE Laser to Focus on Nuclear Deterrence
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) revealed a new strategic direction for its NIKE laser-target facility, realigning the 30-year-old krypton-fluoride excimer laser's capabilities with the Department of Defense (DoD)’s nuclear priorities. (Photonics Spectra)
May 9, 2025
China's Next-Gen Fusion Reactor Could Achieve First Plasma in Just 2 Years
China is racing forward in its effort to pave the way in fusion energy science, and state-sponsored media reported earlier this week that one of the country’s next-gen reactors is now under construction. (Popular Mechanics)
May 8, 2025
China’s Fusion Breakthrough by 2027 Exposes U.S. Lag as BEST Reactor Aims for 5x Output With Unmatched Construction Speed
In a groundbreaking stride toward sustainable energy, China's ambitious Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST) reactor aims to quintuple its energy output by 2027, potentially revolutionizing the global energy landscape. (Sustainability Times)
May 8, 2025
This donut-shaped machine could generate near-limitless clean power in a decade and it is being built outside Boston
The Holy Grail of energy production, nuclear fusion, is making rapid advances and one experimental reactor in the United States is nearing its first tests. (Diario AS)
May 8, 2025
US to use world’s most powerful NIKE laser to mature nuclear weapons
To advance nuclear weapons, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is changing the focus of its world’s most powerful krypton-fluoride NIKE laser facility. (Bytes Europe)
May 7, 2025
Nuclear fusion is the tech that could power AI and save the planet—if it ever works
NIF’s achievement set off renewed interest in fusion—and a new river of private capital flowing to fusion startups. (Fortune)
May 7, 2025
Navy Uses Its Laser-Target Facility for Nuclear Priorities
The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has announced a new strategic direction for its NIKE laser-target facility to align its world-class capabilities with the Department of Defense’s (DoD) nuclear strategic priorities. (MilitarySpot.com)
May 7, 2025
US to make lethal nuclear weapons with world’s most powerful 3-kilojoule laser
For many years, the NIKE facility helped support the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which recently made a breakthrough, getting more energy out of a fusion reaction than the energy used to start it. (Interesting Engineering)
May 6, 2025
70-year-old nuclear fusion problem solved; can help tokamaks stop escaping electrons
Research in this field has been ongoing for decades but has picked up pace in recent years, with the National Ignition Facility (NIF) even demonstrating a net energy gain from fusion reactions. (Interesting Engineering)
May 6, 2025
NIKE laser realigns mission to support US nuclear deterrence goals
For years, NIKE supported NNSA's broader laser programs, including contributions to the National Ignition Facility (NIF), which recently reached fusion ignition-a milestone where the fusion output surpassed the input energy. (Space War)
May 5, 2025
This Giant Magnet Can Lift an Aircraft Carrier—and Possibly Power the Future
The fusion reactor’s electromagnetic “heart” is complete, bringing us one step closer to clean, infinite energy—though there's still a long road ahead. (Gizmodo)
May 5, 2025
China seeks to outpace US by fast-tracking nuclear reactor with 5x energy output
The technology has been in the works for decades, but has picked up steam after the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) demonstrated that a net energy gain was feasible in this process. (Interesting Engineering)
May 2, 2025
Laser fusion: Are you ready?
Edging ever-closer to commercial power plants, laser fusion energy will bring ‘transformative’ opportunities for photonics markets far and wide, says Constantin Häfner of Fraunhofer Institute of Laser Technology. (SPIE News)
May 1, 2025
Groups Collaborate on Projects for Fusion Energy in Germany
Government officials in the German state of Hessen (or Hesse) in March signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support development of a nuclear fusion pilot plant, what the groups called a first-of-a-kind, or FOAK, project. (Power)
May 1, 2025
The Next Five Years Will Define U.S. Nuclear’s Fate
Nuclear power, both the resurgence of fission and the promise of fusion, could secure our energy future and position the U.S. as the global leader in energy technology for the foreseeable future, but the next five years are crucial. (Power)
May 1, 2025
Collaborative Efforts Propel Fusion Energy Projects in Germany: Unveiling Breakthroughs in Clean Energy Innovation
Recent advances have demonstrated that achieving practical energy gain is no longer just theoretical. For instance, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Lab achieved a breakthrough by attaining scientific energy gain using laser fusion in December 2022. (Newsy Today)
May 2025
Early Laser Research Funding
Looking back at large, federally funded laser projects half a century later shows the impact of such efforts on the optics industry. (Optics & Photonics News)
April 30, 2025
University of Arizona plans big role in world's fusion energy chase
Harnessing fusion energy on Earth "will transform the planet," and University of Arizona researchers want the school to commercialize it. (Arizona Daily Star)
April 30, 2025
China plans to beat US, lead world fusion research with massive X-shaped reactor facility
Reports have revealed that details from satellite imagery and procurement records suggest that the facility resembles the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF), although it’s much larger in comparison. (Interesting Engineering)
April 30, 2025
Scientist shares stunning breakthrough in effort to harness power from miniature star: 'Hotter than the center of the sun'
At a massive facility in Livermore, California, scientists are conducting experiments that they hope will one day realize the dream of boundless clean energy. (The Cool Down)
April 29, 2025
Prince Albert II attends Monaco Clean Fusion Forum
The Director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Kimberly S. Budil, then described the prospects opened up by fusion ignition: Fusion Ignition: What Comes Next? while Arthur Huang, founder of Miniwiz, discussed the topic Zero Waste and Beyond. (Monaco Tribune)
April 29, 2025
Is fusion finally within reach?
Fusion energy, long dismissed as “always 30 years away,” is edging closer to reality, according to new analysis by IDTechEx. (Energy Live News)
April 29, 2025
Is China Pulling Ahead in the Quest for Fusion Energy?
Analysts who’ve examined satellite imagery and procurement records say it resembles the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF), but is significantly larger. (IEEE Spectrum)
April 27, 2025
“China Shifts Into High Gear”: Satellite Images Reveal This Gigantic Nuclear Fusion Center Rising at Breathtaking Speed
China's construction of a massive laser fusion research center in Mianyang, poised to surpass California’s National Ignition Facility by 50%, is stirring global debate over its potential impact on both clean energy development and nuclear weaponry advancements. (Sustainability Times)
April 25, 2025
Target designs for improving fusion ignition yield
Now that the physics of ignition has been proven, attention is shifted to efficiency and optimization. (American Institute of Physics)
April 24, 2025
Pacific Fusion: Fusing pulser innovation with General Atomics’ expertise
GA’s fusion expertise isn’t confined to its tokamak facilities—it is supplying components for ITER and manufacturing inertial fusion targets for the laser-driven National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. (Nuclear News)
April 24, 2025
William (Bill) Charles Behrendt
William (Bill) Charles Behrendt, beloved husband, father, brother, and friend, passed away from complications of Parkinson’s Disease / Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) on Saturday, April 5, 2025, at the age of 73, at his home in Livermore, California. (The Independent)
April 24, 2025
Scientists shocked to discover secret nuclear project in China: “a major concern for the international community”
Satellite images show the nuclear ambitions of the Asian giant with a large laser fusion research center in Mianyang. It is larger than the U.S. NIF in California. (Diario AS)
April 22, 2025
Is nuclear power the key to a low-carbon future?
Nuclear fusion, once considered the “holy grail” of energy, has reemerged as a promising energy frontier, with recent breakthroughs bringing practical applications within reach. (USC Today)
April 22, 2025
Fusion Energy: The Long-Term Solution
Fusion energy represents the most transformative potential nuclear technology, with recent breakthroughs generating significant excitement. In 2022, the National Ignition Facility recorded the first experiment to surpass scientific breakeven, producing more fusion energy than the laser beam delivered to the target. (EE Power)
April 21, 2025
Fusion must be a national priority for the future of US energy security
At a time when Washington is focused on budget cuts and government downsizing, one investment remains non-negotiable for America’s future: fusion energy. No technology is more economically transformative or strategically vital to securing U.S. leadership in the global energy race. (The Hill)
April 18, 2025
Revolutionizing High-power Lasers with Large-scale Glass Faraday Elements
In 2022, news that the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the United States had succeeded in igniting fusion with a laser was major news. (EE|Times)
April 17, 2025
The Australian investors betting big on fusion – the “holy grail” of nuclear tech
One of Australia’s biggest super funds is backing nuclear tech – but not the kind being pitched by the federal Coalition. (Renew Economy)
April 16, 2025
Graduate Student Earns Fellowship to Study Fusion at Livermore Lab
UC Merced physics graduate student Sameen Yunus has been awarded a prestigious fellowship allowing her to spend the next three years working at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, conducting experiments and simulations that could lead to faster fusion ignition. (UC Merced Newsroom)
April 15, 2025
Fusion Energy Needs Continued U.S. Leadership to Secure Our Energy Future
The U.S. leads the world in fusion energy research. It can’t squander that lead like it did with microchips. (Scientific American)
April 15, 2025
Here’s how Pacific Fusion plans to build a fusion power plant
Pacific Fusion follows a similar path to fusion power as the National Ignition Facility, the Department of Energy research program that was the first to demonstrate that a controlled fusion reaction could generate more power than was required to ignite it. (TechCrunch)
April 10, 2025
How a lab in California is ensuring the effectiveness of US nuclear weapons
Scripps News was granted access to the California lab, where world-renowned physicists use supercomputers to perform complex laser experiments in the lab's National Ignition Facility (NIF), mimicking the conditions of a nuclear bomb going off. (Scripps News)
April 10, 2025
Video: Inside the US lab that simulates nuclear bombs
Nuclear testing in the U.S. hasn't involved real detonations since 1992. So how is America maintaining its nuclear arsenal in 2025? Scripps News takes you inside Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), where scientists simulate nuclear explosions using the world’s most energetic laser and the supercomputer El Capitan. (Scripps News)
April 9, 2025
Made-in-Canada Fusion Breakthrough Could Change the Future of Global Energy
As energy companies and governments worldwide pursue the next advancements in clean energy, Canadian energy company General Fusion has achieved a world-first fusion breakthrough with its creation of a magnetized plasma in a target chamber using its new machine, Lawson Machine 26 (LM26). (The Debrief)
April 7, 2025
Fusion Could Save the World
An important first step to getting a reaction to sustain itself without having to add more power, called ignition, was done for the first time in December 2022, when researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) near San Francisco fired 192 lasers at a pellet the size of a peppercorn, a diamond containing frozen deuterium and tritium, two heavier forms of hydrogen, separated by gold. (The Stranger)
April 5, 2025
The US’ last chance to lead in fusion energy
An inflection point came in 2022, when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility achieved a controlled fusion reaction that produced more energy than it consumed, proving that fusion power is theoretically possible and within reach. Now, researchers are doing more than running experiments; they are laying the groundwork for real power-generation systems. (Taipei Times)
April 4, 2025
Fusion Energy Race Is On. Two Local Lawmakers Want California to Lead the Way
Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 2022 stunned the world when they showed that, for a fraction of a second at least, the power of the sun could be replicated on earth. (GV Wire)
April 4, 2025
Power from fusion: Realities
Recently, in an inertial confinement fusion (ICF) at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States, 192 powerful lasers with ultra-short pulses heated the D-T mixture and generated more power than was supplied, also called fusion ignition. (Deccan Herald)
April 3, 2025
Swims You Might’ve Missed On Day 2 Of The 2025 Sacramento Pro Swim Series
Brandon Fischer competed at his fifth Olympic Trials last summer and is balancing a full-time job as a mechanical technologist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, home of the National Ignition Facility, which is at the forefront of nuclear fusion breakthroughs. (SwimSwam)
April 2, 2025
China builds a supercharged lab that can make it the world’s leading energy superpower
China is constructing a large-scale laser-driven nuclear fusion facility in Mianyang, aiming to revolutionize energy and defense sectors. (The Economic Times)
April 1, 2025
The World’s First Fusion-Fission Plant Aims To Generate 100MW Nuclear Power By 2030
China is set to build the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid power plant, marking a revolutionary step in nuclear energy. (Wonderful Engineering)
April 1, 2025
China’s Hidden Laser-Powered Nuclear Fusion Mega-Lab Exposed by Satellite Imagery—50% Bigger Than NIF
China is secretly building a fusion facility so massive it dwarfs the world’s current leader. Satellite images just exposed what’s hidden deep in Mianyang. (Daily Galaxy)
March 31, 2025
China aims to have Xinghuo, world’s first fusion-fission power plant, running by 2030
China is poised to start building the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid power plant, with the goal of generating 100 megawatts of continuous electricity and connecting to the grid by the end of the decade. (The Star)
March 31, 2025
How Do Lasers Work, and What Are They Used For?
ExtremeTech's guide to how lasers work and all the fascinating ways they're being employed today. (ExtremeTech)
March 28, 2025
China Aims To Operate World’s First Hybrid Fusion-Fission Nuclear Plant By 2030
China is poised to start building the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid nuclear power plant, with the goal of generating 100 MW of continuous electricity and connecting to the grid by the end of the decade. (NucNet)
March 27, 2025
Germany’s Marvel Fusion raises €113mn as nuclear fusion race heats up
Interest in the approach has increased since scientists at the US government-run National Ignition Facility used the world’s largest laser to achieve a net energy gain in a fusion reaction for the first time in December 2022. (Financial Times)
March 27, 2025
China aims to have Xinghuo, world’s first fusion-fission power plant, running by 2030
China is poised to start building the world’s first fusion-fission hybrid power plant, with the goal of generating 100 megawatts of continuous electricity and connecting to the grid by the end of the decade. (South China Morning Post)
March 27, 2025
China Plans Ambitious Nuclear Fusion Target For 2030
China has set its sights on a new fusion-fission power plant that could be up and running by the end of the decade. (Gizmodo)
March 27, 2025
A Sydney company’s laser focus on energy’s holy grail
McKenzie founded and is currently involved in two companies based on Australian research, one focussed on the emerging class of materials known as “high-entropy alloys”, and the other concerned with producing clean energy from nuclear fusion. (AuManufacturing)
March 25, 2025
Bill Gates-backed Commonwealth Fusion Systems hits key reactor construction milestone
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) marked a major milestone Tuesday morning, announcing the installation of a key component of its SPARC demonstration reactor. (TechCrunch)
March 25, 2025
Focused Energy and RWE to build 1GW fusion pilot plant in Germany
US-German startup Focused Energy has signed an agreement with RWE and the German state of Hesse to build a 1GW fusion energy pilot plant at the former Biblis nuclear plant site by 2035, as reported by Reuters. (Power Technology)
March 25, 2025
With the Richmond area eyed for a world-first nuclear plant, VCU expert outlines the remarkable potential for clean energy – and the uncertainty
he term “ground zero” is rooted in ominous nuclear overtones, marking the detonation spot of an atomic weapon. But it also has come to represent a starting point, and at a site not far from Virginia Commonwealth University, the state may become ground zero for a pioneering project — and a nuclear one, no less. (VCU News)
March 24, 2025
“Three times the size of the Pentagon” – This giant fusion research center rising in China is rewriting the rules of energy
Recent satellite imagery has revealed that China is constructing an enormous laser fusion research facility in Mianyang, potentially rivaling California's National Ignition Facility and raising significant questions about the future of global nuclear research and security. (Sustainability Times)
March 24, 2025
Fusion energy startup Focused signs agreement with RWE, German state
U.S.-German startup Focused Energy, which aims to build power plants fueled by fusion, said on Monday it has signed an agreement with RWE and the German state of Hesse on building a plant at a shuttered nuclear fission site. (Reuters)
March 20, 2025
HB11 Energy partners with University of Adelaide on Australian-first $8.2M national laser facility, out of Adelaide
Laser fusion energy company HB11 Energy has signed an $8.2 million agreement with Defence Trailblazer to commercialise the world’s first-of-a-kind laser developed by the DualTech-USPL research group at the University of Adelaide. (Eco Voice)
March 19, 2025
Gridlock in Energy Transition, Transmission Bottlenecks
The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that 1,600 GW of renewable energy projects—equivalent to five times the current U.S. power grid’s capacity—are stranded in connection queues globally. (Energy News)
March 18, 2025
B.C. company plans to ignite fusion within three years
Under the din of an industrial alarm, dozens of engineers stare at their screens, braced for the unexpected.“Ready to fire!” shouts the lead operator. “Firing!” (Castanet)
March 16, 2025
Fusion energy: Unlocking the power of the stars
If it looks like the set of some Hollywood sci-fi show, perhaps that's fitting, because what they are doing here is making stars on Earth. (CBS Sunday Morning)
March 16, 2025
How the U.S. is losing ground to China in nuclear fusion, as AI power needs surge
China and the U.S. are in a race to create the first grid-scale nuclear fusion energy. After decades of U.S. leadership, China is catching up by spending twice as much and building projects at record speed. (CNBC)
March 13, 2025
Nuclear Fusion Race Intensifies With Chinese Breakthrough
China's Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak achieved a sustained temperature of 100 million degrees Celsius, marking a significant milestone in nuclear fusion research. (OilPrice.com)
March 11, 2025
General Fusion fires up its newest steampunk fusion reactor
General Fusion announced on Tuesday that it had successfully created plasma, a superheated fourth state of matter required for fusion, inside a prototype reactor. (TechCrunch)
March 10, 2025
Fusion energy: The holy grail of clean power
A net energy gain was notably demonstrated in December 2022 at the National Ignition Facility (NIF), a laser-based inertial confinement fusion research lab located at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (The Daily Star)
March 6, 2025
Understanding DOE’s Role in Nuclear Security and Energy Management
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a prime example of the DOE’s commitment to cutting-edge research. The NIF performs key experiments that help scientists understand nuclear fusion and ensure the effectiveness of nuclear weapons. (Microgrid Media)
March 5, 2025
Lessons for U.S. Intelligence from the ‘DeepSeek Surprise’
AI is far from the only consequential technology that is shaping the competition between the United States and China. Within just the past month, satellite imagery analysis revealed that China is building a laser fusion research facility larger than our own National Ignition Facility (NIF). (The Cipher Brief)
March 3, 2025
What Is Nuclear Energy? Is It Renewable?
No one has a workable plan for bringing fusion to commercial viability, because even the record-smashing National Ignition Facility barely knows how to make fusion energy-positive in the first place. (Extreme Tech)
February 28, 2025
AI & Data Exchange 2025: Lawrence Livermore’s Brian Spears, Judy Hill on achieving unprecedented AI advancements
LLNL has a broad science mission. It stewards the nation’s nuclear stockpile and supports a wide range of national security objectives, including intelligence support, medical research and drug development, and basic fundamental science. It is also known for being the fusion laboratory — in 2022, LLNL made history by demonstrating fusion ignition in a lab setting. (Federal News Network)
February 27, 2025
The Energy Department invests more in fusion energy
The Energy Department, via the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, is boosting research into fusion energy. (Federal News Network)
February 26, 2025
Startups gamble on fusion energy
And in 2022, scientists at one key fusion lab, located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, reached a fusion-energy milestone when they were able to produce a self-sustaining reaction with a net-positive amount of energy — a threshold called ignition. (Canada's National Observer)
February 25, 2025
Unlocking the power of fusion: SLAC’s pioneering role in advanced energy solutions
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is leading groundbreaking advancements in fusion research through innovative technologies, aiming to tackle the challenges of harnessing fusion as a viable energy source. (Innovation News Network)
February 21, 2025
French fusion reactor’s 22-minute plasma record boosts energy hopes
Scientists at the CEA’s WEST facility (operated at the Cadarache center in southern France) have reached a milestone in magnetic confinement fusion research, sustaining a superheated plasma for 1,337 seconds—just over 22 minutes. (R&D World)
February 20, 2025
EUV’s Future Looks Even Brighter
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are exploring alternative laser-driven plasma sources that could significantly improve EUV power efficiency. (Semiconductor Engineering)
February 18, 2025
Behind China’s ‘secret’ laser facility
Recently a flood of articles appeared in the press showing a US satellite photo of what was described as a huge laser facility under construction in southwestern China. (Asia Times)
February 14, 2025
The future of lasers is controllably bright
John Heebner of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory discusses ongoing projects at the National Ignition Facility. (SPIE)
February 13, 2025
Lab and Startup Company Team Up on Fusion Materials
Commercial fusion technology — what the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) says could deliver “a supply of safe, clean and relatively limitless energy” — took another step forward last week with the announcement of a new joint project between the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and fusion startup Focused Energy. (The Independent)
February 13, 2025
Photonics’ “Semiconductorization” Stands Out Among Trends at Photonics West 2025
Once again, Photonics West was thriving, with the exhibit halls and floors of the conference center humming with intense conversations about the latest advances in all areas of photonics technology. I will discuss a few trends I found particularly noteworthy. (Photonics Spectra)
February 12, 2025
Ensuring Innovation In A Rapidly Changing World: Stay With Problems Longer
The hot pursuit of nuclear fusion as an energy source, for example, has been going on for several decades, since the construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory began in 1997. (Forbes)
February 12, 2025
Satellite images reveal large fusion facility in China
Currently the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at the US Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory if world leader in INF. (Nuclear Engineering International)
February 8, 2025
Satellite Images Show China Building What Appears to Be a Huge Fusion Facility
In a move straight out of a Bond film, China seems to be building a massive laser-fired nuclear facility in Mianyang, a major science and research city in Sichuan province. (Futurism)
February 7, 2025
China’s Massive Nuclear Fusion Facility In Sichuan Province Gets Caught In Satellite Imagery
This experiment mirrors the layout of the US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Northern California, which in 2022 achieved a breakthrough by producing more energy from fusion than the lasers pumped into the target, reaching “scientific breakeven.” (The EurAsian Times)
February 6, 2025
Virginia joins the nuclear fusion race as region shifts to clean energy
The core of our Sun is a nuclear inferno so unfathomably dense that it strips atoms of their electrons and forms new atoms. And, in an attempt to meet its clean energy goals, Virginia hopes to wield this energy on Earth. (Chesapeake Bay Journal)
February 6, 2025
China is building giant nuclear facility to master clean energy
Eveleth estimates China's Mianyang research center will be about 50% bigger than the US's National Ignition Facility (NIF) and, when completed, probably the largest facility of its kind in the world. (NewsBytes)
February 5, 2025
China is building a giant laser facility to master near-limitless clean energy, satellite images appear to show
The X-shaped building in southwestern China could help China pull ahead in the race to master a futuristic clean energy source and amp up weapons research. (CNN)
February 5, 2025
Focused Energy, Livermore Lab Join in Support of Fusion Research
Focused Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have announced the signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to develop a model simulating the behavior of low-density foams wetted with liquid deuterium and tritium during implosion. (POWER Magazine)
February 4, 2025
China Is Secretly Building the World’s Largest Nuclear Fusion Laser, According to a U.S. Spy Satellite
Recently spotted via American spy satellites, this structure is estimated to be 50% larger than the United States’ National Ignition Facility (NIF)—currently the most advanced laser fusion lab in the world. (Indian Defence Review)
February 4, 2025
China’s Massive Laser Fusion Facility: A Game Changer for Energy or Arms?
China’s new laser fusion facility in Mianyang significantly outsizes the U.S. National Ignition Facility. (Oinegro Skynet Chronicles)
February 1, 2025
'The Whole Crew Had Me': Benedict Cumberbatch Recalls Getting Pranked by Star Trek Into Darkness Team
Speaking to Variety, Cumberbatch discussed his experience on the set of the 2013 film, recalling a day of shooting at the National Ignition Facility, where tests regarding nuclear fusion are carried out. (Comic Book Resources)
February 1, 2025
Explaining nuclear fusion
In 2022, at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s National Ignition Facility in California, 192 lasers focused on a peppercorn-sized pellet of deuterium-tritium and in the 5.4-million-degree Fahrenheit heat, converted the pellet into burning plasma in a reaction that lasted billionths of a second. (Post Register)
January 31, 2025
Lawrence Livermore says OpenAI partnership could help with fusion research
The San Francisco AI company will supply its models to national labs for various purposes including fusion and nuclear deterrence. (San Francisco Business Times)
January 29, 2025
Satellite Picture Shows China's Huge Nuclear Weapons Research Center
The revelation of the new Chinese nuclear facility, in the city of Mianyang in the southwestern province of Sichuan, was reported by Reuters on Tuesday. It has a similar design to the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, the report said. (Newsweek)
January 29, 2025
China building massive nuclear fusion research centre, reveal satellite images
China is constructing a large-scale laser-ignited nuclear fusion research facility in the southwestern city of Mianyang, which experts said Bejing will utilise to enhance both nuclear weapons design capabilities and research into advanced power generation methods. (The Times of India)
January 28, 2025
Exclusive: Images show China building huge fusion research facility, analysts say
China appears to be building a large laser-ignited fusion research centre in the southwestern city of Mianyang, experts at two analytical organisations say, a development that could aid nuclear weapons design and work exploring power generation. (Reuters)
January 28, 2025
China's new tech rip-off: Satellite images show huge new fusion research plant (...remarkably similar to US facility) sparking nuke testing fears
The design bears striking similarities to the £2.8billion US National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California, which made headlines last year for achieving a breakthrough in nuclear fusion. (Daily Mail)
January 28, 2025
China ‘building laser-ignited fusion research centre’ in challenge to US
Experts warn site could be used to advance both power generation and nuclear weapons. (The Telegraph)
January 28, 2025
Satellite images reveal huge fusion research facility in China
The facility's design resembles the layout of the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in the United States, which, in 2022, achieved "scientific breakeven" by generating more energy from a fusion reaction than was delivered by the lasers. (RBC-Ukraine)'
January 28, 2025
China building huge fusion research facility
The design closely resembles that of the $3.5 billion National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Northern California, which achieved "scientific breakeven" in 2022 by generating more energy from a fusion reaction than the lasers pumped into the target. (Caliber)
January 28, 2025
China's Ambitious Leap in Laser Fusion Technology
Satellite imagery reveals a layout similar to the U.S. National Ignition Facility, with implications for both nuclear policy and innovation in energy development. (Devdiscourse)
January 27, 2025
Benedict Cumberbatch Recalls The Elaborate Prank On Him During The Filming Of Star Trek Into Darkness
During a recent interview with Variety in which guests attempt to guess lines from their own movies and TV shows, Cumberbatch identifies a Khan line from Star Trek Into Darkness. This leads to a story about his experiences filming within the National Ignition Facility for the movie, and the elaborate prank that the crew of the movie pulled on him involving "neutron cream." (ScreenRant)
January 21, 2025
New Metal Foams Enable World’s Brightest X-Ray Source
By combining the National Ignition Facility (NIF)’s X-ray laser and ultralight metal foams, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have produced the brightest X-ray source to date — about twice as bright as previous solid metal versions. (Photonics Spectra)
January 21, 2025
China's 'artificial sun' shatters nuclear fusion record by generating steady loop of plasma for 1,000 seconds
A nuclear fusion reactor in China, dubbed the "artificial sun," has broken its own record to bring humanity one step closer to near-limitless clean energy. (Live Science)
January 19, 2025
US lab creates world’s brightest X-ray source with 2x intensity for fusion research
This milestone was reached by combining the National Ignition Facility (NIF) laser with ultra-light metal foams. (Interesting Engineering)
January 18, 2025
Private Sector Advances Nuclear Fusion With AI – New Plant To Open Soon
An MIT-connected project is changing how we view energy production. It should have been bigger news. When the National Ignition Facility conducted a successful fusion experiment, we got a front-row seat to what could happen if this technology is ever perfected. (Forbes)
January 15, 2025
Frothy silver foam and fusion-grade lasers create world's brightest X-ray
A frothy breakthrough at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), using lasers with a silver metal foam that's as light as air, has created the brightest yet X-ray source ever, twice as brilliant as that of anything previous. (New Atlas)
January 14, 2025
Fusion Research Receives $49 Million Boost
The U.S. Department of Energy is funding 19 projects that target foundational fusion materials, nuclear science, magnet technology, blankets, fuel cycles, and first wall research. (ASME News)
January 13, 2025
The world’s fastest supercomputer is accelerating efforts to bring star power to Earth
It makes sense that a technical achievement straight out of science fiction took place in a facility so futuristic that it was once used as a backdrop in a Star Trek movie. (Cipher)
January 13, 2025
Reflecting on mirrors
Then there are lasers, which rely on mirrors for building up and manipulating a focused beam of light. In December 2022, the National Ignition Facility at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California used a complicated series of lasers and mirrors to achieve the first net-gain fusion reaction. (Classic City News)
January 13, 2025
Fusion energy Canada’s opportunity to lead in the clean energy revolution
Recent breakthroughs have brought this vision closer to reality, yet significant challenges remain before fusion becomes a practical part of our energy systems. (Troy Media)
January 10, 2025
Fusion-grade steel able to withstand 650°C produced at industrial scale for first time in UK
A UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) working group was able to successfully demonstrate the industrial scale production of steel that can be used in fusion reactors by withstanding temperatures up to 650°C. (New Civil Engeneer)
January 8, 2025
Nuclear fusion could one day be a viable clean energy source – but big engineering challenges stand in the way
The way scientists think about fusion changed forever in 2022, when what some called the experiment of the century demonstrated for the first time that fusion can be a viable source of clean energy. (The Conversation)
January 7, 2025
Is the world ready for the transformational power of fusion?
Imagine: One day in the early 2030s, an engineer at a newly constructed power plant near Richmond, Virginia, in the United States, will press a button. It will ignite the same reaction that takes place in our sun’s core. (World Economic Forum)
January 7, 2025
US next-gen BAT laser system aims for a 10x efficiency boost for EUV chip production
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is developing a petawatt-class laser system that could significantly boost the efficiency of EUV lithography equipment used in chip manufacturing. (Notebook Check)
January 6, 2025
The race to achieve net energy gain
The world is now on the last leg of the decades-long race to achieve net energy gain from nuclear fusion. Will competition or collaboration be the key to reaching the finish line? (Innovation News Network)
January 6, 2025
Researchers Unlock Fusion Mysteries with Novel Plasma Modeling, Propelling Nuclear Fusion Closer to Reality
Harnessing controlled nuclear fusion as a potential source of clean energy has seen several significant advancements in recent years, and the recent research by a Chinese team, funded by the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences and published in Science Bulletin last month, signals the next wave of insights with what the team calls a “surprising observation” involving supra-thermal ions during observations of fusion burning plasmas at National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. (The Debrief)
January 6, 2025
Why fusion energy is the future of clean power
Imagine a world where energy is limitless, clean, and safe—a world without pollution from burning fossil fuels or dangerous nuclear waste. This dream is at the heart of fusion energy research. (Knowridge)
January 5, 2025
American lab is developing a BAT laser that could enable 'beyond EUV' lithography, provide 10X power efficiency boost
The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is working on a petawatt-class thulium laser that is said to be 10 times more efficient than the CO2 lasers used in EUV tools and could replace CO2 lasers in lithography systems many years down the road. (Tom's Hardware)
January 5, 2025
Nuclear fusion offers safe and clean energy, but experts say enviros will still oppose it
In 2022, the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, became the only facility to achieve what’s called “net fusion energy,” which is a fusion reaction producing more energy than the reaction required. (Just the News)
January 3, 2025
LLNL to Lead Research on Advancing Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography
Now Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has announced it will lead a four-year, $12 million research partnership charged with laying the groundwork for the next evolution of EUV lithography. (inside HPC)
January 3, 2025
Germany’s IFE Targetry HUB pioneers laser-based inertial fusion
This milestone comes amid growing international interest in nuclear fusion, fuelled by the landmark achievements of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, which successfully demonstrated fusion’s viability as an energy source. (Innovation News Network)
January 3, 2025
Brighter X Rays from Ultralight Silver Material
Shooting a laser pulse at a porous silver target generates more intense x rays than previous targets, which will help studies of matter in extreme conditions. (American Physical Society)
January 3, 2025
Fusion Mystery Unraveled: How Burning Plasmas Defy Conventional Physics
Advances in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) have brought nuclear fusion energy closer to reality. A breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility in 2021 revealed unexpected plasma phenomena, challenging existing models. (SciTechDaily)
January 2, 2025
John H. Nuckolls Receives Enrico Fermi Presidential Award
The Biden-Harris Administration has recognized former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) director John H. Nuckolls with the Enrico Fermi Award, one of the oldest and most prestigious science and technology honors bestowed by the U.S. government. (The Independent)
January 2, 2025
2025 will be the year climate tech learns to love AI
We’re just over two years out from the National Ignition Facility’s groundbreaking announcement that it had produced the world’s first controlled, net-positive fusion reaction. (TechCrunch)
January 2, 2025
Focused Energy and Amplitude ink laser fusion deal
"This is a landmark moment on our path to commercial laser fusion, building off the National Ignition Facility’s groundbreaking work two years ago." (Nuclear Engineering International)
January 1, 2025
Mystery of supra-thermal ions in fusion plasmas solved by advanced collision models
The pursuit of nuclear fusion as a clean and abundant energy source has made significant strides with the advent of inertial confinement fusion (ICF). (Space Daily)
