According to the Fusion Industry Association (FIA), of the $8 billion in private investments in fusion energy worldwide, $6 billion comes from the US.
The startup Commonwealth Fusion Systems, based at MIT, has raised the most funding—nearly $2 billion—while Helion secured $1 billion, and TAE Technologies, backed by Google, attracted $1.2 billion.
In terms of government funding, China is far ahead. Beijing allocates $1.5 billion annually for fusion energy, while US federal funding has averaged around $800 million per year in recent years.
Construction of testing facilities in China is progressing at an accelerated pace. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs, shared with CNBC, shows rapid construction of a new massive fusion testing site.
China’s EAST tokamak project is setting records, competing in recent months with France’s WEST tokamak in sustained plasma confinement. Another state-funded Chinese project, CRAFT, is expected to be completed this year.
According to Nikkei Asia, China has registered more patents in fusion technology than any other country, and the number of PhDs in this field in China is ten times higher than in the US.
China’s success is attributed to its nearly unlimited human resources, access to rare earth metals, and advancements in new energy technologies.
