Billion-Dollar Bets on Fusion: The Race for Commercial Nuclear Energy

Fusion energy has transitioned from industry skepticism to a serious investment frontier, with Commonwealth Fusion Systems and peers raising billions in private capital. Recent breakthroughs in AI, superconducting magnet technology, and computing power, coupled with the Department of Energy's 2022 scientific breakeven achievement, have validated the commercial viability of fusion reactors. With commercial operations expected by 2026-2027, these startups could fundamentally disrupt the trillion-dollar global energy market.