Commonwealth Fusion Systems gets $85M to build better fusion-ready semiconductors
News Source
β’Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:20:28 +0000
π° What Happened
Commonwealth Fusion Systems will get $85 million from the US government to build better electronics for fusion power. The award comes from the CHIPS Act and was announced on Thursday. In return, the government gets a stake in the company.
The money will support five projects. The first is silicon carbide power electronics, which handle very high voltages. CFS will also work on radio-frequency generators that heat fusion fuel, and on faster controls for its reactors.
π The Backstory
Fusion is the reaction that powers the sun. Scientists have tried to copy it for decades, because it could give huge amounts of clean energy without long-lived waste.
CFS plans to switch on its Sparc test reactor next year. One working reactor is only a start, though. Building many power plants would need a steady supply of tough parts and factories able to make them at scale. That is what the government money is meant to help build.
π― Why It Matters
Fusion could one day power cities without carbon emissions. The hard part is not only the science but making the parts cheaply and reliably, which is what this award targets.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems will get $85 million from the US government to build better electronics for fusion power. The award comes from the CHIPS Act and was announced on Thursday. In return, the government gets a stake in the company.
The money will support five projects. The first is silicon carbide power electronics, which handle very high voltages. CFS will also work on radio-frequency generators that heat fusion fuel, and on faster controls for its reactors.
Fusion is the reaction that powers the sun. Scientists have tried to copy it for decades, because it could give huge amounts of clean energy without long-lived waste.
CFS plans to switch on its Sparc test reactor next year. One working reactor is only a start, though. Building many power plants would need a steady supply of tough parts and factories able to make them at scale. That is what the government money is meant to help build.
Fusion could one day power cities without carbon emissions. The hard part is not only the science but making the parts cheaply and reliably, which is what this award targets.