Pacific Fusion Unveils New Prototype Achieving 440 Gigawatts in Just 80 Nanoseconds

On Tuesday, Pacific Fusion introduced its new pulser module prototype, marking a significant step forward for its forthcoming demonstration fusion power plant, with construction set to begin this summer.

The results from this container-sized prototype were encouraging enough to secure an additional tranche of over $1 billion in Pacific Fusion’s Series A funding, as reported exclusively by TechCrunch. While the exact amount of the tranche remains undisclosed, Pacific Fusion is recognized as one of the best-funded startups in the fusion sector.

This financing approach, based on tranches, is common in the biotech field, enabling startups to accelerate fundraising while keeping their focus on technical goals.

Thanks to this funding model, the company has been able to focus on its objectives. “It allows us to look ahead without dedicating 20% to 50% of our time to fundraising,” remarked Pacific Fusion’s CTO, Keith LeChien, to TechCrunch.

Pacific Fusion is concentrating on a fusion power process known as inertial confinement. The reactor is engineered to utilize 156 pulser modules to generate a strong electrical surge directed at a compact fuel target inside the fusion chamber. This electrical impulse creates a magnetic field around a fuel pellet the size of an eraser, compressing it until the atoms fuse, releasing tremendous energy.

The company’s next challenge will be scaling from this small prototype to a full-size pulser module, essential for the demonstration power plant. Their goal is to create a power plant that generates more energy than it consumes—an achievement that remains unfulfilled to date.

In light of the mounting competition in fusion power, the company is not delaying the construction of the demonstration power plant, even while waiting for the results from the full-scale pulser module. “We’re starting ground work on that facility this summer,” stated LeChien.

So far, inertial confinement is the only method that has produced more energy from controlled fusion reactions than the energy input—a crucial achievement referred to as scientific breakeven. This was successfully achieved and replicated in a single experiment at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

In contrast to NIF, which relies on large, expensive lasers, Pacific Fusion believes it can achieve its goals using thousands of more economical electrical switches and capacitors, configured to produce large, precisely-timed electrical pulses lasting about 100 nanoseconds.

A fundamental challenge for Pacific Fusion is ensuring that these capacitors release their energy precisely when required; otherwise, the fuel pellet will not be compressed quickly enough to trigger the fusion reaction.

The company’s demonstration system will include 156 full-size pulser modules. Each module consists of 32 circular stages, each surrounded by 10 bricks. Each brick contains two capacitors for energy storage and one switch for energy discharge.

The recently tested prototype pulser module is approximately one-third the size of the full model, featuring nine stages and 90 bricks, capable of delivering a peak power of 440 gigawatts within 80 nanoseconds.

“It meets all our criteria for scaling up to our larger demonstration system,” LeChien remarked.

Once operational, the demonstration power plant aims to surpass scientific breakeven and directly reach facility breakeven, where its device generates enough energy to power the entire plant.

“Every fusion method, regardless of its specific technology, must meet this milestone,” LeChien added. “This represents the next major breakthrough in fusion.”