Hardware Podcasts

A blueprint for scalable fusion power

Catalyst · 21 May 2026 · 40m

What this episode covers

Carrie von Muench, COO of Pacific Fusion, explains the company's strategy for scalable inertial fusion power using modular, commodity-based drivers to achieve net facility gain by 2030. She details the technical distinction between the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's laser-driven ignition and Pacific Fusion's more efficient pulsed-power approach, emphasizing the importance of the 'ignition cliff' and achieving 5x gain for commercial viability. Von Muench also discusses the company's unique multi-tranche financing model, inspired by biotech, which de-risks capital deployment through defined technical milestones.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Pacific Fusion, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Sandia National Laboratories, General Catalyst, Energy Impact Partners, Latitude Media, EnergyHub

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Hardware to Save a Planet · 51m

    Igniting the Future: Fusion Power and the Road to Clean Energy with Scott Mercer

    Scott Mercer, Founder and CEO of Focused Energy, explains how his company is commercializing laser-driven nuclear fusion by leveraging the scientific proof of ignition achieved at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF). Mercer details the engineering challenges of transitioning from single-shot research to high-repetition-rate power plants, focusing on the need for 1000s of efficient solid-state lasers and on-site fuel target manufacturing. He outlines Focused Energy's strategy to secure early government and utility partnerships for gigawatt-scale base load power, aiming for commercial deployment in the late 2030s.

    Energy & climate techScaling production
    7 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 45m

    The Fuss About Fusion

    Melanie Windridge, a plasma physicist and lead author of the Fusion Industry Association's 2021 report, explains why commercial fusion energy has attracted over $4 billion in private investment in just five years. She identifies four key drivers: mature plasma science, emerging technologies like high-temperature superconductors, climate urgency, and venture capital. Windridge details how companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Helion Energy are using these technologies to build smaller, faster prototypes, aiming to deliver grid electricity by the 2030s despite remaining challenges in materials and tritium breeding.

    Energy & climate techScaling production
    7 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 46m

    The New Wave in Energy Generation

    C-Power CEO Reenst Lesemann and Bill Schmitz of Northwest Power (a Vicor subsidiary) discuss commercializing wave energy systems, highlighting the technical challenge of converting low-frequency, high-range voltage pulses into constant current for storage using Vicor’s power electronics. First Light Fusion COO Gianluca Pisanello explains their inertial confinement fusion approach, which uses high-velocity projectiles to trigger fusion reactions, aiming for clean base-load energy by 2040. NXP CTO Lars Reger details V2X technology deployments for smart cities, including smart traffic management and autonomous valet parking, leveraging robust mesh networks for vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.

    Energy & climate techPCB design & layout
    5 chapters

  • Hardware to Save a Planet · 51m

    Commercial Fusion Has Started: How Helion Is Bringing Power to the Grid by 2028

    Anthony Pancotti, co-founder and Head of R&D at Helion Energy, explains the company's mass-manufacturable approach to commercial fusion, targeting a 2028 grid connection via a landmark power purchase agreement with Microsoft. He details how Helion’s use of deuterium and helium-3 fuel, combined with direct energy recovery, eliminates the need for steam turbines, enabling an assembly-line production model for power plants like Orion. The conversation covers the engineering challenges of high-field pulsed magnets, the regulatory framework established with the Washington State Health Department, and the strategic supply chain decisions to avoid rare earth metals.

    Energy & climate techMechanical engineering
    9 chapters

  • Additive Snack · 25m

    The Future of Energy - Part 3: Fusion Energy

    Jim McNeil, Chief Marketing Officer, and Vincent Pilard, Senior Mechanical and Project Engineer at TAE Technologies, discuss the development of a compact, commercial fusion power source. They explain how TAE leverages additive manufacturing to redesign critical components like beam dumps and accelerator grids, achieving significant weight reduction and improved cooling efficiency through complex internal channels. The episode highlights the transition from research machines like C2W to the upcoming Copernicus reactor, aiming for net energy production in the early 2030s.

    Energy & climate techMaterials & manufacturing processes
    5 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Catalyst. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.