Major technology companies are working on creating sources of nuclear fusion energy
The rapid development of artificial intelligence technologies and the sharp increase in electricity demand from data processing centers have forced the world's leading technology corporations to seek alternative energy sources. This was reported by Zamin.uz.
Currently, the competition in this field is centered around two major companies based in the state of Washington, USA — Helion Energy and Zap Energy. These companies have been working for over a decade to bring nuclear fusion technology—previously confined to scientific theory and experimental stages—up to an industrial level and commercialize it.
Helion Energy has signed a cooperation agreement with Microsoft Corporation to supply continuous electricity to future data centers. According to the plan, the world's first commercial fusion reactor should be operational by 2028.
To achieve this goal, work is underway to deploy the Orion station, with a capacity of 50 megawatts. The project has attracted a total of one and a half billion dollars in investment, making it one of the highest financial benchmarks in the sector.
The company's technological approach is based on magnetically compressing plasma. In this process, plasma heated to extremely high temperatures is accelerated to speeds exceeding 1.5 million kilometers per hour and then compressed using powerful magnetic fields.
The resulting energy is intended to be directly converted into electrical current without the need for traditional turbine systems. Additionally, the company is simultaneously testing smaller experimental setups in parallel to achieve concrete results in the short term.
At the same time, Zap Energy is offering its own alternative solution. This project, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, uses a special compression method.
In this approach, plasma is pinched by a strong electric current, which generates its own magnetic field. So far, the project has successfully raised $330 million in funding and is shaping its operational strategy in a somewhat different manner.
Zap Energy aims not only to use fusion but also to leverage traditional nuclear fission technology. The company plans to generate intermediate revenue by developing small-scale micro-reactors based on Japanese technology.
This makes it the world's first official project to combine both fusion and fission methods. Experts believe this approach could enable faster market entry of energy solutions needed for AI infrastructure while reducing financial risks.
Today, more than fifty companies worldwide are conducting research on fusion energy. Among them are major projects such as Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Avalanche Energy, as well as extensive state programs in China.
However, achieving stable and commercially viable fusion energy production remains a complex engineering challenge. Many experts emphasize that, despite massive investments, a significant amount of time will still be required for this technology to fully mature.
