US-based Inertia Enterprises has entered into a strategic partnership with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to accelerate the commercialization of fusion technology.

This partnership aims to reduce the time required for the innovations needed to operate a commercial fusion power plant.

“This expansive partnership will apply the hard-won lessons of achieving fusion ignition at LLNL’s National Ignition Facility toward making fusion energy a reality,” said Tammy Ma, director of the Livermore Institute of Fusion Technology (LIFT) at LLNL.

This agreement follows a $450 million funding round for the company and represents a significant private sector-led partnership within the US national laboratory system. 

The collaboration utilizes two Strategic Partnership Projects and a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to turn fusion physics into industrial applications.

Technical innovation for target development

The technical scope of the CRADA includes the research, development, and prototyping of advanced optical materials and semiconductor laser diodes. The organizations will also focus on creating new manufacturing techniques for components that typically require long lead times or involve high costs. 

This agreement provides for the design and experimental validation of a beamline architecture intended to power a high-capacity laser system. 

Through the Strategic Partnership Projects, the teams are working to scale the performance and production of fusion fuel targets, which are central to achieving energy gain. 

LLNL staff are applying the same inertial confinement fusion design codes used in laboratory breakthroughs to assist in the design of high-gain targets for commercial use.

These efforts include developing target physics designs and manufacturing processes capable of meeting the specifications required for grid-scale fusion power plant operations.

Rights to foundational inventions

In addition to technical research, the partnership includes a licensing agreement for a portfolio of nearly 200 patents related to inertial fusion technology developed at LLNL.

This agreement grants Inertia Enterprises rights to several foundational inventions necessary for building a fusion power plant. 

The collaboration is designed to address specific engineering challenges that arise when moving from a proven physics model to a functional energy facility.

The partnership is supported by the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, which provides the regulatory framework for laboratory staff to assist in commercializing scientific innovations. 

According to CEO Jeff Lawson, the partnership allows the private sector to build upon the scientific foundation established by public investment. 

Institutional leadership for industrial scaling

LLNL Director Kim Budil stated that the agreement ensures that decades of fusion research move beyond the laboratory setting to inform industrial development. 

“This partnership positions LLNL’s world-leading expertise in inertial fusion science, laser technology, physics design and target fabrication to directly inform the industrial-scale development that commercial fusion demands,” noted Budil.

Jean Paul Allain of the DOE Office of Fusion concluded that the collaboration brings together national laboratories and private industry to move from experimental results toward deployment. 

The combined resources of the laboratory and the private company are intended to establish the supply chains and processes required for future fusion energy production.