TAE Technologies has secured an additional $150 million in investment as the fusion energy company continues to move toward commercializing its cutting-edge reactor technology. Among the firm’s returning investors are Google, Chevron, and venture capital firm New Enterprise Associates. The funding round is TAE Technologies’ 12th since its inception nearly three decades ago, bringing its total capital raised to roughly $1.8 billion and solidifying its place among the most heavily funded ventures in fusion power.
Initially founded under the name Tri Alpha Energy, TAE spent many years operating discreetly while refining its unique fusion reactor design. Historically, its system involved creating plasma by launching two plasma balls at each other, transforming them into a spinning mass capable of generating its own magnetic field. This magnetic field, working in tandem with external magnets, helps maintain the stability and containment of the plasma, a central requirement for fusion reactions.
In a significant recent breakthrough, the company announced earlier this year that its reactor no longer requires the initial step of colliding plasma balls. Instead, TAE’s scientists successfully produced, heated, and stabilized plasma using particle beams alone. This technological shift significantly reduces complexity, making the reactor design smaller, less costly, and easier to manage in a real-world commercial setting.
Google’s involvement with TAE Technologies extends beyond funding. The tech giant began collaborating with the energy startup in 2014, applying sophisticated machine-learning algorithms developed by Google researchers. These advancements have drastically streamlined experimental procedures, shrinking processes that once took two months and about a thousand trials down to just a few hours.
Currently, TAE’s reactors can achieve plasma temperatures around 70 million degrees Celsius. However, the company states its commercial reactor will need to reach closer to one billion degrees Celsius to generate electricity effectively. CEO Michl Binderbauer recently indicated the firm is aiming to raise an additional $50 million by the close of the investment round later this summer.
Looking forward, TAE Technologies anticipates providing electricity to the grid from its fusion technology sometime in the early 2030s, a timeline that underscores both the immense promise and long-term efforts needed to commercialize viable fusion power.
