Commonwealth Fusion Systems raised $863 million from investors including Nvidia, Google, and Breakthrough Energy Ventures, bringing total funding to nearly $3 billion. The company previously raised $1.8 billion in 2021. CFS is building a prototype reactor called Sparc in a Boston suburb and plans to power the device on next year, targeting scientific breakeven in 2027. Scientific breakeven occurs when a fusion reaction produces more energy than required to ignite it. Advances in computing and AI have accelerated fusion research and attracted investor interest, fueling startup activity. Sparc is intended to validate physics and models rather than sell power to the grid.
As advances in computing and AI have quickened the pace of research and development, the sector has become a hotbed of startup and investor activity. Inside a fusion reaction, atoms are compressed and heated until they form a fourth state of matter known as plasma. When the plasma reaches the right temperature and pressure, those atoms begin to fuse, releasing tremendous amounts of energy in the process.
"We're continuing our trend here of looking into the world and saying, 'How do we advance fusion as fast as possible?'" co-founder and CEO Bob Mumgaard told reporters in a call this week. "'This round of capital isn't just about fusion just generally as a concept, but it's about how do we go to make fusion into a commercial industrial endeavor.'"
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