Helion wins $175 million to develop more efficient fusion power electronics

Helion has received $175 million in federal funding to develop and manufacture advanced semiconductors and power electronics for its fusion plants. The company says these components currently lose 5% to 10% of passing electricity, and halving those losses could, in its chief executive’s estimate, double a plant’s power output.

The three-year award will support production capacity in Washington State and research and development in Washington and Vermont, including work with GlobalFoundries. Helion is also raising a separate $50 million private investment and has raised more than $3.2 billion in total. The work will not be ready for its first plant, Orion, which Helion aims to complete in time to supply Microsoft from 2028, but could improve the efficiency of later plants.