"The DOE funding will be split between the Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) initiative, which gets $128 million, and the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE) program, which will receive a much smaller $6.1 million. There's an old joke that says nuclear fusion power is 30 years away and always will be, which perhaps explains why the DOE is only committing such modest sums, in comparison with the billions being pumped into the semiconductor industry."
"With INFUSE, the DOE says it has selected 20 projects that accelerate private-sector fusion energy development by reducing barriers to collaboration between businesses and national laboratories or universities. What these barriers are isn't stated. Projects selected include research into materials science, laser technology development, high-temperature superconducting magnet assessment, and machine learning for fusion modeling and simulation. The DOE claims these initiatives represent a significant step forward in advancing fusion energy research."
The Department of Energy has allocated $134 million to two fusion programs: $128 million for the Fusion Innovative Research Engine (FIRE) and $6.1 million for the Innovation Network for Fusion Energy (INFUSE). FIRE will build a fusion innovation ecosystem using centrally managed teams called "Collaboratives" to bridge basic science research and nascent fusion industries. INFUSE selected 20 projects to accelerate private-sector fusion development by reducing collaboration barriers with national laboratories and universities. Selected projects include materials science, laser development, high-temperature superconducting magnet assessment, and machine learning for fusion modeling. The initiatives aim to advance fusion research and support national energy and defense needs as datacenter and electrification demands grow.
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