TAE Technologies Raises $150 Million For Fusion Power Development
TAE Technologies announced іt raised another $150 million іn a funding round with investments from existing backers including Google, Chevron, and New Enterprise Associates. Founded nearly 30 years ago, this іs the company’s 12th round оf investment, totaling about $1.8 billion raised tо date, making іt one оf the highest-funded fusion power companies.
Innovative Reactor Design Advances Fusion Technology
Previously known as Tri Alpha Energy, TAE worked for years in stealth to develop its unique reactor design. Initially, the process involved firing two plasma balls at each other and spinning the resulting plasma blob with particle beams. This plasma blob, shaped like a hollow cigar, generates a magnetic field that works with the reactor’s magnets to contain the plasma.
New Process Simplifies Reactor Operation
In April, TAE announced it no longer needs to fire two plasma balls to initiate fusion. Instead, the plasma can be formed, heated, and stabilized using only particle beams. This advancement makes the reactor smaller, cheaper, and easier to operate.
AI Accelerates Fusion Optimization And Future Goals
Since 2014, Google computer scientists have collaborated with TAE engineers to use machine learning to optimize fusion device settings. Previously, optimization took two months and about 1,000 experiments, but AI reduced this drastically to just a few hours. TAE’s current reactor reaches plasma temperatures of 70 million degrees Celsius, while the commercial goal is 1 billion degrees. The company aims to raise an additional $50 million this summer and hopes to supply electricity to the grid by the early 2030s.
