Securing U.S. fusion leadership - the race for deployment at scale

In preparing this week to testify before Congress, I thought a lot about fusion energy and what it means for the future, especially for the U.S. As we race to meet growing energy demands, fusion offers an unparalleled opportunity—one that could define the future of energy for decades. 

 

In my work at Helion, where we’re developing commercial fusion technology, I see both incredible opportunities and major challenges. Chief among our challenges is building the supply chain and infrastructure necessary to scale fusion, ensuring the U.S. takes the lead in this fast-emerging field. Looming behind that challenge is fierce competition from China, which is moving fast to dominate this emerging market. 

 

Over the past decade, Helion has been refining its fusion technology. We’ve built six prototypes and are now working on Polaris, our seventh. This isn’t just another prototype—it’s expected to be the first machine to demonstrate electricity from fusion. After that milestone, we plan to build the world’s first fusion power plant, backed by a power purchase agreement with Microsoft. And we’re not stopping there; we’ve also got a development agreement with Nucor. These milestones show that fusion is no longer a distant dream—it’s rapidly becoming a reality. 

 

But the challenge isn’t just making the technology work. It’s scaling it quickly enough to meet skyrocketing global energy demand. We can’t afford to build just one or two plants and call it a day. The U.S. needs to deploy hundreds, if not thousands, of fusion power plants to stay ahead. And that won’t happen without a strong policy framework and a manufacturing base ready to move the moment we demonstrate fusion electricity production. 

 

The competition is real. China is watching closely, and they’re not shy about trying to catch up. 

 

Companies like HHMAX in Chengdu are openly replicating our designs, leveraging state-backed resources to push ahead. This playbook isn’t new. In industries like solar and batteries, the U.S. pioneered breakthroughs only to lose out to China in mass deployment. If we’re not careful, the same could happen with fusion. 

 

Fusion presents an enormous global opportunity. Energy demand is set to accelerate in the coming decades, particularly as electrification in transportation, the growing AI industry, and onshoring of manufacturing boom, not just in the U.S., but worldwide. Meeting that demand with clean, reliable fusion energy would be transformative. But having the technology isn’t enough. We need to mass-produce it, and that brings us to the supply chain problem. 

 

Fusion power plants rely on several key components, including power semiconductors, capacitors, high-quality metals, and materials for magnets. Right now, much of the supply of these components is concentrated in a few countries—chiefly China. Without a strong domestic supply chain, even if we crack fusion electricity, the U.S. risks losing its competitive edge. 

 

The stakes couldn’t be higher. If China beats us in fusion deployment, they could control the global energy market, much like they’ve done with solar panels and batteries. This isn’t just about economic power—it’s about energy independence and national security. If we’re not building and deploying these power plants, we’ll be buying them from China. That’s a scenario we can’t afford. 

 

So, what do we do? The U.S. government has some tools at its disposal (and many that are already funded), like the 45X Manufacturing Production Tax Credit, the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, and the CHIPS Fund. These could be pivotal in building a domestic manufacturing base for fusion components. But they need to be adapted to target fusion specifically, and they need to be ready to go the moment we demonstrate fusion electricity. 

 

We also need bold new steps—something like a “Fusion Advantage Initiative” to support strategic manufacturing for fusion technologies. This would help build the infrastructure necessary to produce hundreds of fusion plants a year, ensuring the U.S. doesn’t fall behind in the global race. 

 

Regulatory reform is another key piece. The current process for licensing power plants is slow and not built for the rapid deployment fusion will require. We need a new approach—one that allows for streamlined approval of mass-produced fusion plants without sacrificing safety or environmental standards. A design-specific license, for instance, could allow for a one-time approval of a standardized fusion plant, enabling deployment at scale without the lengthy review process for every single site. 

 

None of this can happen without strong public-private partnerships. Fusion is too big and too important for the government to take a hands-off approach. We need collaboration, incentives for supply chain investment, and bold regulatory reforms to make sure that when fusion is ready, the U.S. is ready to lead. 

 

If we don’t act now, the consequences will be severe. We’ve seen it before—China will capitalize on our innovations if we move too slowly. Fusion isn’t just about cleaner energy. It’s about securing our future as a leader in global energy, technology, and security. The time to act is now, and if we do, the U.S. can lead the fusion energy revolution. 

 

Read my full testimony before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources here.