How fusion power works and the startups pursuing it

Fusion startups are racing to build power-generating reactors using two main approaches after attracting over $10 billion in investment, with many companies raising more than $100 million recently. Magnetic confinement uses powerful magnetic fields to contain superheated plasma, with companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems planning to test their device by late 2026, while inertial confinement compresses fuel pellets with laser pulses and has already achieved scientific breakeven at government facilities.