ROOT / ENERGY // FUSION STARTUPS
// Energy · decoded · deep-research pass
Fusion Startups, decoded.
Every approach chasing net energy, on funding and physics.
CURATED INDEX◊ confidence: High
// the signal · what the data says
Private fusion raised over $8B cumulatively. CFS (tokamak, HTS magnets) is furthest along — SPARC is ~75% built with Q>1 targeted 2027 — while Helion (FRC, Microsoft PPA) and TAE pursue alternate confinement. NIF (laser) achieved scientific breakeven in 2022 but is a weapons-physics facility, not a power path.
// comparison · every entry, benchmarked & annotated
| Name | Maker | Approach | Q target | Funding ($B) | First power (yr) |
|---|
| SPARC/ARC | CFS | Tokamak (HTS) | 10 | 2.4 | 2027 |
| ◊ ~75% built; Q>1 2027, ARC plant Virginia |
| Polaris | Helion | FRC | 1 | 1 | 2028 |
| ◊ Microsoft 50 MW PPA signed |
| Copernicus | TAE | FRC | 1 | 1.2 | 2030 |
| ◊ Beam-driven FRC |
| Wendelstein 7-X | IPP | Stellarator | 1 | 0.5 | 2035 |
| ◊ Record triple-product for stellarators |
| FuZE | Zap Energy | Z-pinch | 1 | 0.3 | 2030 |
| ◊ No magnets/lasers, sheared-flow |
| NIF | LLNL | Laser ICF | 4 | 3.5 | n/a |
| ◊ 2022 scientific breakeven; not a power plant |
// leaderboard · Q target
01SPARC/ARC10
02NIF4
03Polaris1
04Copernicus1
05Wendelstein 7-X1
06FuZE1
// sources & where to verify
// full index, per-field sourcing & CSV export [ AUTHENTICATE → ]
◊ Deep-research pass, mid-2026. Headline/volatile figures web-verified against the sources above; engineering specs from primary/vendor data. Green = best value in column · confidence: High · verify volatile figures (prices, counts, live feeds) before publishing.