Google signed a deal to buy power generated through nuclear fusion, only the second such agreement to use the as-yet-unviable technology.
Commercial Fusion Systems plans to open a demonstration reactor in Massachusetts in 2027 and create a commercial plant, ready to supply Google’s data centers with power, by the early 2030s.
Nuclear fusion works by squashing small atoms together, as occurs in the center of stars, rather than splitting big atoms like traditional nuclear plants; it could provide limitless clean energy with minimal radioactive waste, but has yet to generate more power than is put in, despite decades of work.
Recent progress has been promising, though, and Google’s deal represents a bet that the technology is close to reality.