The Department of Energy is expanding its investment in fusion power through closer collaboration with private industry and the use of artificial intelligence, Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced Tuesday.
Speaking at a Washington D.C. event hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project, Wright unveiled the department’s new Fusion Science & Technology Roadmap, outlining plans to strengthen public infrastructure that will support private-sector fusion operations in the 2030s, Nextgov/FCW reported.
More Investments in National Lab R&D
Wright stressed that advancing fusion science will also require additional federal investment in national laboratories’ research and development.
“We need the commercial efforts, but we need the labs,” Wright said.
He added that expanding fusion research will require strategic funding choices within government, including acknowledging and acting like the government has finite, rather than unending, resources.
Wright described AI as “a tremendous enabling technology,” noting its potential to drive breakthroughs in materials science, digital modeling of stellar fusion and molecular dynamics.
In June, the Energy Department announced the selection of Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Savannah River Site and Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant as the sites for AI data centers and energy generation projects.
Wright also underscored the Trump administration’s focus on maintaining U.S. leadership in energy innovation amid China’s rapid fusion investments. “They’ve got top scientific talent,” he said. “So, I think China’s serious and moving fast,” the Energy Department head remarked.
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