Fusion startup Helion is developing new semiconductors that could double output of its power plants
Fusion startup Helion has secured $175 million in federal funding to research and manufacture advanced semiconductors and power electronics for its power plants. The company announced the award on Thursday alongside a separate $50 million private investment.
Fusion startup Helion has secured $175 million in federal funding to research and manufacture advanced semiconductors and power electronics for its power plants. The company announced the award on Thursday alongside a separate $50 million private investment. The three-year award comes from the Department of Commerce under the CHIPS Act.
Helion plans to build an automated semiconductor production line in Washington State and collaborate with GlobalFoundries on tooling and design research in Vermont. While standard power devices lose up to 10% of electricity, Helion CEO David Kirtley stated that cutting those losses in half could double the fusion system's power output.
Helion aims to complete its first power plant, Orion, by a 2028 deadline to supply electricity to Microsoft. Kirtley acknowledged that the newly funded research will not arrive in time for Orion, but said it will improve efficiency for subsequent power plants. Helion harvests electricity directly from fusion reactions using magnetic fields and capacitors rather than spinning steam turbines.
Efficient power electronics are crucial for this direct energy conversion approach, which aims to help reactors produce more power than they consume.
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Original publication: 22 October 2026 20:29
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