1
Country: Germany | Funding: $400M
Marvel Fusion is developing an advanced inertial fusion energy concept that combines a proprietary fast ignitor concept with key innovations for lasers, targets, and power plant technology. It builds on the fusion approach that demonstrated target energy gain at the National Ignition Facility in 2022. With the underlying physics validated, the startup is focusing on the ignition process as the key to making laser-based inertial fusion energy commercially viable. Company's strategic partner is Siemens Energy,
Marvel Fusion is developing an advanced inertial fusion energy concept that combines a proprietary fast ignitor concept with key innovations for lasers, targets, and power plant technology. It builds on the fusion approach that demonstrated target energy gain at the National Ignition Facility in 2022. With the underlying physics validated, the startup is focusing on the ignition process as the key to making laser-based inertial fusion energy commercially viable. Company's strategic partner is Siemens Energy,
2
Country: USA | Funding: $450M
Inertia is a fusion-energy company that is taking the most direct, scientifically-proven path to commercializing fusion, leveraging the only successful achievement of fusion ignition, using a process that was pioneered at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The startup’s reactor relies on a form of fusion known as inertial confinement. In Inertia’s flavor of inertial confinement, lasers bombard a fuel target, compressing the fuel until atoms inside fuse and release energy. The technique is based on NIF’s designs, in which laser light is converted into X-rays inside the target. The X-rays are what ultimately heat and compress the fuel pellet.
Inertia is a fusion-energy company that is taking the most direct, scientifically-proven path to commercializing fusion, leveraging the only successful achievement of fusion ignition, using a process that was pioneered at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The startup’s reactor relies on a form of fusion known as inertial confinement. In Inertia’s flavor of inertial confinement, lasers bombard a fuel target, compressing the fuel until atoms inside fuse and release energy. The technique is based on NIF’s designs, in which laser light is converted into X-rays inside the target. The X-rays are what ultimately heat and compress the fuel pellet.
3
Country: Canada | Funding: $392M
General Fusion is developing utility-scale fusion power using a new, patent pending concept based on recent developments in Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF). It is the goal of General Fusion to demonstrate and commercialize this new clean, safe and economical concept by the end of the decade.
General Fusion is developing utility-scale fusion power using a new, patent pending concept based on recent developments in Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF). It is the goal of General Fusion to demonstrate and commercialize this new clean, safe and economical concept by the end of the decade.
4
Country: Germany | Funding: $361.7M
Focused Energy is developing fusion reactor that uses lasers to compress fuel (inertial confinement). Lasers strike a fuel target, which is compressed by the laser radiation, creating conditions favorable for fusion. When the atoms within the fuel finally fuse, they release a significant amount of energy. The company bases its design on an experiment conducted at the National Fusion Facility which remains the first and only one to create a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it took to start it. Focused Energy is working on simplifying the fuel target. One simplification involves eliminating the hohlraum - the high-precision gold cylinder that converts laser energy into X-rays.
Focused Energy is developing fusion reactor that uses lasers to compress fuel (inertial confinement). Lasers strike a fuel target, which is compressed by the laser radiation, creating conditions favorable for fusion. When the atoms within the fuel finally fuse, they release a significant amount of energy. The company bases its design on an experiment conducted at the National Fusion Facility which remains the first and only one to create a controlled nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it took to start it. Focused Energy is working on simplifying the fuel target. One simplification involves eliminating the hohlraum - the high-precision gold cylinder that converts laser energy into X-rays.
5
Country: USA | Funding: $117.8M
Xcimer develops laser system Phoenix – the largest privately owned laser system in the world and the company’s prototype for commercializing laser fusion. Housed in Xcimer’s 74,000-square-foot Denver laser facility, Phoenix is a proof of concept for an unconventional fusion architecture: a krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) to compress a microsecond-long pulse into the nanosecond timescales fusion requires. Phoenix is designed to demonstrate end-to-end integrated operation of excimer amplification and SBS pulse compression.
Xcimer develops laser system Phoenix – the largest privately owned laser system in the world and the company’s prototype for commercializing laser fusion. Housed in Xcimer’s 74,000-square-foot Denver laser facility, Phoenix is a proof of concept for an unconventional fusion architecture: a krypton fluoride (KrF) excimer laser using Stimulated Brillouin Scattering (SBS) to compress a microsecond-long pulse into the nanosecond timescales fusion requires. Phoenix is designed to demonstrate end-to-end integrated operation of excimer amplification and SBS pulse compression.
6
Country: UK | Funding: $107M
First Light Fusion (FLF) develops Inertial confinement fusion reactor that can produce power. It's powered by two-stage fusion fuel system FLARE that combines efficient compression with fast ignition to enable a simpler, more scalable path to fusion power. The standard fusion fuel, deuterium-tritium, is wrapped in a dense, heavy pusher. The driver pushes it inward, squeezing like a fist to make it hundreds of times denser than it started. When the fuel is compressed, a separate pulse ignites one small region. That spark spreads outward as a self-sustaining burn, like a fuse running through a much larger charge.
First Light Fusion (FLF) develops Inertial confinement fusion reactor that can produce power. It's powered by two-stage fusion fuel system FLARE that combines efficient compression with fast ignition to enable a simpler, more scalable path to fusion power. The standard fusion fuel, deuterium-tritium, is wrapped in a dense, heavy pusher. The driver pushes it inward, squeezing like a fist to make it hundreds of times denser than it started. When the fuel is compressed, a separate pulse ignites one small region. That spark spreads outward as a self-sustaining burn, like a fuse running through a much larger charge.
7
Country: China | Funding: $44.6M
Dongxi is focuses on the commercial exploration of laser inertial confinement fusion. It's developing high-energy laser drivers, target engineering, experimental diagnostics, simulation, system integration, and AI-assisted research. It aims to build repeatable engineering capabilities as laser fusion moves from scientific proof to engineering validation.
Dongxi is focuses on the commercial exploration of laser inertial confinement fusion. It's developing high-energy laser drivers, target engineering, experimental diagnostics, simulation, system integration, and AI-assisted research. It aims to build repeatable engineering capabilities as laser fusion moves from scientific proof to engineering validation.
8
Country: Japan | Funding: ¥4.9B
EX-Fusion develops the first commercial laser based nuclear fusion reactor based on a fast ignition method called LIFT. This design was proposed by the Institute of Laser Science, Osaka University. First, a fuel target accelerated to a velocity of 100 m/s is injected toward the center of the reactor. As soon as the target reaches to the center, lasers irradiate the target from all directions to implode the fuel target, and another laser is irradiated to the fuel to induce a fusion reaction. The neutron energy produced by the fusion reaction is absorbed by a device called a “blanket” surrounding the center of the reactor. Then, the energy is converted to electrical energy by heating water in a heat exchanger to turn a turbine. When the cycle from target injection to fuel ignition can be stably repeated at a frequency of 10 times per second, it is believed that the system can be operated as a power plant.
EX-Fusion develops the first commercial laser based nuclear fusion reactor based on a fast ignition method called LIFT. This design was proposed by the Institute of Laser Science, Osaka University. First, a fuel target accelerated to a velocity of 100 m/s is injected toward the center of the reactor. As soon as the target reaches to the center, lasers irradiate the target from all directions to implode the fuel target, and another laser is irradiated to the fuel to induce a fusion reaction. The neutron energy produced by the fusion reaction is absorbed by a device called a “blanket” surrounding the center of the reactor. Then, the energy is converted to electrical energy by heating water in a heat exchanger to turn a turbine. When the cycle from target injection to fuel ignition can be stably repeated at a frequency of 10 times per second, it is believed that the system can be operated as a power plant.
9
Country: Australia | Funding: $22M
HB11 Energy is developing Laser Hydrogen Boron-11 fusion to provide a new source of unlimited, clean, safe and reliable energy. It intends to generate electricity using laser-ignited non-thermal fusion. The company deployed a nanosecond and picosecond two-pulse laser system to achieve Fast Ignition. Focused energy accelerates protons and initiates fusion within a compressed fuel pellet. Hydrogen-Boron fuel pellets are injected and burned at a rate of about 1 per second. The energy released drives a conventional steam cycle generator.
HB11 Energy is developing Laser Hydrogen Boron-11 fusion to provide a new source of unlimited, clean, safe and reliable energy. It intends to generate electricity using laser-ignited non-thermal fusion. The company deployed a nanosecond and picosecond two-pulse laser system to achieve Fast Ignition. Focused energy accelerates protons and initiates fusion within a compressed fuel pellet. Hydrogen-Boron fuel pellets are injected and burned at a rate of about 1 per second. The energy released drives a conventional steam cycle generator.
