US team claims viable path to commercial fusion power

Experts from MIT spin-out Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) and MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) have announced the successful test of the world’s strongest high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet, the key technology for a device that the group claims will unlock the path to clean commercial fusion energy for the world.

The test, conducted at MIT’s Plasma Science and Fusion Center, proved that the magnet built at scale can reach a sustained magnetic field of more than 20 tesla, enough to enable CFS’s compact tokamak device, called SPARC, to achieve net energy from fusion.

“This record-breaking magnet is the culmination of the last three years of work and will give the world a clear path to fusion power for the first time,” said Bob Mumgaard, CFS CEO. “The world needs a fundamentally new technology that will support efforts to decarbonize on a timeline that can mitigate climate change. This test of our magnet proves we have that technology, and we’re on our way to producing clean, limitless energy for the entire world.”