Fusion technology, which seeks to recreate the same source that power stars, offers the promise of abundant clean energy, but the engineering challenges are significant and daunting. So far, no companies have replicated the 2022 breakthrough at a US government laboratory that demonstrated that the concept is viable. Still, the allure of cheap, carbon-free power has sparked the interest of technology companies like Google, which need to run expanding fleets of data centers to support the cloud and artificial intelligence.
Alphabet Inc.’s Google has agreed to purchase 200 megawatts of power from Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ planned first commercial plant, which is expected to begin delivering electricity to the grid in the early 2030s.
Google is also making a second investment in Commonwealth, a leading contender in the effort to commercialize fusion power, according to a statement Monday. Google participated in a 2021 funding round led by Tiger Global Management that put US$1.8 billion into the company. The companies declined to disclose the size of either investment.
