Nuclear fusion plant breaks ground aiming to power Microsoft data centers

Nuclear fusion energy is one step closer to becoming a reality after Helion Energy broke ground Wednesday on what could become the world’s first commercial fusion power plant. Construction in Washington state comes after Helion raised $1 billion for its nuclear fusion plant and signed an agreement to provide electricity to Microsoft by 2028. 

Situated along the Columbia River about halfway between Seattle and Spokane, Helion’s Orion nuclear fusion plant is expected to produce at least 50 megawatts of electricity. The company has not disclosed the total cost of the project. Although 50 megawatts is relatively small for a power plant, if Helion successfully provides power with nuclear fusion, the company would pass a milestone that has long eluded the nuclear energy industry. 

“We have been completely focused on preparing fusion technology for commercialization and getting electrons on the grid,” Helion CEO David Kirtley said in a press release.

Kirtley declared that the Orion power plant will “unleash a new era of energy independence and industrial renewal.” 

Nuclear fusion uses the same type of atomic reaction that powers the sun, combining atoms to generate heat that powers a turbine to produce electricity that’s clean and can run 24 hours a day. While researchers have demonstrated the potential of this method, power companies have so far been unable to trigger a reaction that generates more energy than required to produce it. However, with Big Tech pouring money into nuclear power to feed energy-intensive data centers, there is hope that nuclear fusion is on the verge of a breakthrough. 

What is Helion’s approach to nuclear fusion?

Globally, more than 50 companies are pursuing nuclear fusion. Last year, they attracted $2.6 billion in investment, according to an industry report.

Most fusion approaches seek to contain superheated plasma at over 100 million degrees Fahrenheit using powerful magnetic fields. Helion aims to generate electricity directly from fast-pulsed reactions that rhythmically change magnetic fields.

In this approach, fusion heat would not need to be cooled to lower temperatures to power traditional steam turbines, according to a report in Politico’s E&E News. If successful, the method could be more efficient than conventional fusion reactor designs.

The company completed construction of its seventh-generation prototype reactor, called Polaris, at the end of 2024 and hopes to demonstrate electricity production from fusion as soon as this year. Helion was the first private company to achieve fuel temperatures of 100 million degrees Celsius with its previous prototype, Trenta, the company said.

Despite the company’s milestones and innovative approach, industry experts are skeptical that Helion will hit the target of commercial operation by 2028. Mike Campbell, a professor at the University of California, San Diego, told E&E News he would be “happily surprised” if the goal is met. 

The Fusion Industry Association reports that 35 of 45 fusion companies surveyed hope to operate commercially viable pilot plants between 2030 and 2035.

Why is Big Tech investing in nuclear fusion?

Nuclear power appeals to tech companies because it provides carbon-free electricity around the clock, unlike solar and wind energy, which have variable electricity output depending on the weather. Helion’s agreement with Microsoft in 2023 was the world’s first power purchase agreement for nuclear fusion power, according to Helion’s statement. 

As artificial intelligence tools have taken hold, demand for electricity is increasing, and nuclear has become even more attractive to Big Tech in the years since Microsoft and Helion’s agreement.

Earlier this year, Google announced plans to purchase 200 megawatts from Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ planned nuclear fusion plant in Virginia. Meanwhile, Meta, Amazon and other tech giants have struck deals with existing nuclear fission plants or companies developing small modular reactors to power data centers.