CFS secures $85 million federal award for fusion reactor chips

Commonwealth Fusion Systems will receive $85 million from the U.S. government to build semiconductors for fusion power plants. The company announced the funding on Thursday, noting that the money comes from a CHIPS Act award issued by the Department of Commerce.

The agreement gives the federal government a stake in CFS. The company stated that the funding will strengthen research and development while expanding manufacturing capacity for chips in the United States.

The award supports five specific initiatives. The first focuses on advancing silicon carbide power electronics. These semiconductors manage high voltages and appear in products ranging from electric vehicles to data centers. In fusion machines, they drive the superconducting magnets that confine plasma.

CFS also plans to develop next-generation radio-frequency power generators to heat fusion fuel. A third effort targets advanced electronics that allow faster reactor control and are hardened against radiation. The company said these radiation-hardened components could extend the lifespan of parts inside a fusion power plant, which would reduce operating costs.

The final initiative involves adapting AI hardware, such as GPUs and TPUs, for use in power plants. Brandon Sorbom, co-founder and chief science officer at CFS, said the funding would help improve the U.S. chip and power electronics industries while accelerating fusion energy's progress toward the electrical grid.

Sorbom wrote in a blog post that the project means a more capable and economical power plant with a stronger U.S. supply chain. The award arrives as fusion startups race to finish their first demonstration machines. CFS aims to switch on its Sparc reactor sometime next year.

A single reactor serves mainly as a proof point. Companies hoping to build dozens of commercial fusion plants will need more durable power electronics and a dependable supply chain.