US Plan Aims to Bring Fusion Energy to Life by the Mid-2030s

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a major plan in June to help companies develop fusion energy by the mid-2030s. Fusion is a type of nuclear reaction that powers the sun, and scientists believe it could one day produce huge amounts of clean energy. The DOE's roadmap sets clear goals and steps to help both government agencies and private companies work together to make fusion power a reality. A new federal office, called the Office of Fusion, was created in November 2025 to lead the effort.

Fusion works by pushing two light atoms together until they merge, releasing a burst of energy. This is different from the nuclear power plants we use today, which split heavy atoms — a process called fission. Fusion promises to be much cleaner and safer, and the fuel it needs is found in seawater, making it nearly unlimited. However, building a machine that can actually produce more energy than it uses has proven very difficult, and no private company has done it yet.

The DOE roadmap has three main goals. First, it wants to build the tools and materials that fusion companies need. Second, it plans to give developers access to artificial intelligence (AI), powerful computers, and research labs to speed up their work. Third, it hopes to grow the supply chain and train more workers for the fusion industry. Together, these goals are meant to close the gap between today's experiments and tomorrow's power plants.

One of the biggest technical challenges is building parts that can survive inside a fusion machine. The reaction creates extremely high heat and a flood of fast-moving particles called neutrons, which can damage materials quickly. Engineers also need to manage a special fuel called tritium, which is rare and must be carefully recycled inside the reactor. These are tough problems that nearly every fusion company in the world is working to solve.

Robb Hughes, who works in external affairs at Realta Fusion, said the roadmap is a solid plan but warned that money is the key issue. 'The plan isn't the problem. We all agree on the plan. The X factor is the funding,' he said. He explained that if the U.S. cuts funding for fusion research, the timeline to build real fusion power plants will be pushed back. He said the fusion sector needs more than $1 billion per year over the next ten years.

Congress approved up to $1.1 billion for fusion research for the year 2027, but lawmakers actually set aside only $790 million — less than the $805.7 million approved for 2026. Hughes said the industry just wants the money that was already authorized to actually be spent. Without steady funding, he warned, the United States could fall behind other countries, especially China, in the race to develop fusion energy.

Private investors are also putting big money into fusion. According to the Fusion Industry Association, fusion companies raised a record $4.48 billion worldwide in the 12 months leading up to July 2026. Most of that money came from private investors, not governments. Total reported funding since 2021 has reached $14.24 billion, showing just how much confidence investors have in the technology's future.

The roadmap also encourages partnerships between private companies and government research labs. Two key programs help make this happen. The Milestone-Based Fusion Development program pays eight companies — including Commonwealth Fusion Systems and Zap Energy — after they reach specific technical goals. This means taxpayers only pay for proven results, which Hughes called 'the right template.'

Another program, called INFUSE, gives private fusion companies access to top scientists, computing power, and testing equipment at national laboratories and universities. Labs like Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory work alongside private developers to run fusion experiments. A spokesperson for General Fusion said that working with international researchers and government-funded labs has been 'critical' to developing their technology.

AI is also playing a growing role in fusion research. Developers can use AI to build 'digital twins' — virtual copies of their reactors — to test parts before they are actually built. AI can also help control the super-hot plasma inside fusion machines, which is one of the hardest parts of the whole process. The DOE plans to create a special AI platform to connect data from experiments and simulations so that all developers can learn from each other's work.

Amy Roma, a lawyer who specializes in nuclear energy, said the roadmap's goals are 'ambitious but achievable.' She added that sharing national lab resources helps companies solve problems faster and avoid wasting money building the same expensive equipment twice. With the right funding and cooperation, supporters believe the United States can lead the world into a new era of clean, fusion-powered energy.