IDTechEx Explores Is Fusion Energy Still "30 Years Away"?

Is Fusion Energy Still "30 Years Away"?

- Noah El Alami

Commercial perception of fusion energy has shifted significantly since the start of this decade. Once relegated to science fiction and lab experiments, Fusion is now being taken seriously as a safe, energy-dense, and continuous source of electricity for the green energy transition.

As of 2025, commercial fusion companies have raised over US$9 billion in investments, while governments are beginning to see fusion as the modern day 'space race'. The IDTechEx report, "Fusion Energy Market 2025-2045: Technologies, Players, Timelines", evaluates and compares the different technical approaches to producing commercial fusion energy, the key players involved, and potential timelines for their deployment.

Why now for fusion?

The largest funding rounds for commercial fusion occurred largely in the last 5 years. There are now around 50 private companies pursuing commercial fusion, with leaders in the industry demonstrating substantial progress towards generating net positive energy and securing major public and industrial partnerships. But what has changed to bring fusion from research projects to a serious commercial industry?

The commercial fusion market has been catalyzed by recent developments in three areas: a better understanding of the science of fusion, growing global demand for clean energy, and the maturation of enabling technologies.

First, consistent academic progress in understanding plasma physics over multiple decades has now reached the point where fusion technology is becoming ready for commercialization. Research reactors around the world, such as the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST), and Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), all produced record-breaking results in recent years such as increasing the energy gain from fusion or sustaining a stable plasma for a longer time.