A New Type Of Nuclear Fusion Machine Has Come To Life
In a Nutshell
Helion, a secretive fusion startup backed by over $1B from Sam Altman and others, is advancing pulsed magnetic fusion machines like Trenta (which hit 100 million°C and proved direct electricity recovery) toward its massive Polaris prototype, the world's largest magnetic pulse power bank at 60 megajoules. Polaris fires plasmas at million-mph speeds to generate electricity directly at up to 94% efficiency, skipping steam turbines, amid skepticism over unpublished results and delays. The next machine, Orion, targets net power by 2028 as Microsoft's first customer, aiming for gigafactories producing daily fusion generators to power AI and replace fossil fuels.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
In Everett, Washington, visiting Helion, a fusion startup that rarely allows access. Almost died getting there. Helion hasn't let journalists see its prized machines before, but now poking around and taking pictures of exotic things. Helion raised over $1 billion from Sam Altman and others to make nuclear fusion real—clean, plentiful energy. Tons of skepticism around fusion and Helion itself: weird, secretive, beyond ambitious.
Helion CEO and co-founder David Kirtley started Helion in 2013. Part of new wave of fusion startups proving technology works after decades of hope and hype. Last fusion visit was in Russia, like 1950s-1960s research with only five guys, far from glory days. Helion backed by over $1 billion, seen as bad boy of the field.
Early machines: Grande showed small-scale fusion, set world records for fusion temperatures. Venti had much higher compression fields to squeeze fusion plasma. Trenta—look down bore where two plasmas meet at 10 million degrees. Most startups use fusion for heat to produce steam for turbines. Helion captures energy directly from fusion reaction: extreme heat fuses atoms, magnetic fields surround charged particles, particles push back to generate electricity.
Take atoms, overcome atomic forces to form heavier elements (hydrogen to helium) that push back on magnetic field, expanding and taking energy directly recovered at high efficiency. Electrical current flows through electromagnets; cable numbers increase down machine for higher compression pressure. Latest machine Polaris built in Ursa building.
Fusion: bash hydrogen atoms together to get helium and energy. Need 100 million°C heat and way to capture energy. Clean, super safe, reactors much smaller than fission reactors. Major problem: reactors consume more energy than produce. New startups bet they've solved it. Trenta achieved 100 million degrees, understood physics to heat plasmas to thermonuclear conditions, proved plasma pushes back to get electricity out, paving way for Polaris.
Lockout tagout procedure: key controls power supplies, locked in box so systems can't energize. In Ursa, power supplies for Polaris: capacitor bank over 60 megajoules, largest magnetic pulse power bank on planet. Skeptics doubt it works, complain no published research, techniques science fiction, no net electricity.
Story criticized low PhD types vs. machinists/builders. Scientists understanding fusion physics and high-voltage electrical engineers important, but to do science quickly, iterate, learn fast, it comes down to building.
Polaris enormous despite Helion orders of magnitude smaller than others. Cables by the megameter (1,000 km at a time), go through wall into machine. Fires with bright fuchsia pink glow as superheats hydrogen/helium. Fuel injector like rocket engine: puff in fuel, ionize, accelerate to middle. Energy in 1/1000th second goes in and back out, recharges capacitors for next shot. Plasma accelerates million miles/hour, caught on high-speed cameras. Gradual process: add systems, upgrade, higher power; some days break things.
Unclear when public sees it; IP concerns, China watching. Looked very real. Avoid steam turbines: directly recover electricity from pulsed magnetic approach, 94% efficiency in some electromagnetic coils. Polaris designed to do fusion, make energy, recover to capacitors. Originally meant to pump electricity in 2024, running behind. Won't say if net positive yet.
Orion under construction in Malaga, Washington, up and running 2028. Microsoft first customer.
Build manufacturing gigafactories producing fusion generators rolling off line daily to deploy for AI centers, replace fossil fuels, target climate change, provide baseload clean power to continents without firm power. Remain fusion skeptic until startup delivers. David madman in good way: has theory, builds real things to test, man possessed—qualities to make fusion real.
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