"Start-Up Companies Spark the Pursuit of Limitless Energy through Laser Fusion"

Start-up companies are pursuing laser fusion as a potential solution to the world's energy needs, following the breakthrough achieved by the National Ignition Facility (NIF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. NIF successfully achieved ignition, where a laser-induced burst of fusion produced more energy than that supplied by the incoming lasers. These start-ups are exploring different variations of laser fusion, using different lasers, techniques, and elements to fuse together. Private enterprise is joining the quest for fusion energy, with companies like Longview Fusion Energy Systems, LaserFusionX, Xcimer Energy, Focused Energy, HB11 Energy, Marvel Fusion, and NearStar Fusion developing their own approaches. The Department of Energy is providing funding to some of these start-ups to design pilot power plants, and the competitors are largely supportive of each other's efforts.