EUROfusion’s Post

Nuclear fusion is one of the great scientific and engineering challenges of our time. Success promises a future where clean, virtually limitless energy can power our world. The UK Atomic Energy Authority is at the forefront of these efforts. Through its Fusion Industry Programme (FIP), it is working to create the infrastructure and technology necessary to realise fusion’s potential as a reliable energy source. In May 2024, the UKAEA awarded £9.6 million to six organisations, including IS-Instruments, to advance projects that develop tools, technologies, and skills required to accelerate the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our role is to develop a gas Raman instrument capable of measuring tritium, which is critical to the commercialisation of fusion energy. Find out more: https://bit.ly/42UvOvV

The ambition to extend the paradigm of autonomous operation to nuclear units, combined with recent advances in Machine Learning algorithms, has motivated numerous studies on Advanced Control system architectures. One aspect that I believe has not received sufficient attention is the synchronization of Control tasks with Diagnostic tasks, and how the results of both should inform Decision-making processes related to the scheduling of maintenance interventions and the asset-management. Over the past four years, my colleagues at Argonne National Laboratory (Akshay Dave, Tat Nghia Nguyen, Vera Moiseytseva, Haoyu Wang, Richard Vilim) and I, in collaboration with the University of Michigan (Brendan Kochunas) and Kairos Power (Anthonie Cilliers), have investigated this problem. As a first step, we conducted an extensive analysis of the cost drivers that heavily affect the economics of Light-Water Reactors, with the goal of identifying activities most likely to benefit from automation. The analysis revealed that deploying optimal and predictive control algorithms alone would not provide substantial improvements. Instead, the greatest potential savings are associated with reducing the workforce effort devoted to component health inspections and instrument calibration carried out by onsite personnel. In addition, a 2016 study funded by the U.S. NRC demonstrated that the best performance in nuclear plant management is achieved when the different members of the operating crew function effectively as a coordinated team. Finally, with the increasing availability of algorithms and computational tools that enable more efficient use of operational data, it is essential that the integration of these technologies be carried out within U.S. NRC-approved frameworks, ensuring compliance, safety assurance, and regulatory acceptance. These insights have directly guided the development of the control architecture we designed. The main results are documented in a report published on osti.gov (find the link below), and we expect to prepare and submit peer-reviewed journal articles based on this work in the near future. https://lnkd.in/gk9C-YUv

Fusion Fuel Cycles: $20 Million Investment Raised From General Atomics: Fusion Fuel Cycles (FFC), a joint venture between Canadian Nuclear Laboratories and Kyoto Fusioneering, has announced a significant development in fusion technology. The company recently reached an agreement with General Atomics (GA) to secure a $20 million, ten-year strategic investment into the UNITY-2 project. This collaboration brings together two leading organizations in the field of fusion energy, aiming to accelerate the deployment of FFC's flagship initiative, the Unique Integrated Testing Facility (UNITY-2). Once operational, UNITY-2 will be the world's first fully integrated fusion fuel cycle facility. The post Fusion Fuel Cycles: $20 Million Investment Raised From General Atomics appeared first on Pulse 2.0.

Aalo Atomics, a US-based nuclear technology company announced that it has raised $100 million in a Series B financing round, with proceeds aimed at building the company’s first nuclear power plant to meet the rapidly growing energy needs of AI. #esg #sustainability #sustentabilidad #funding #nuclearpower #ai #infrastructure #construction #fondeo #construccion #infraestructura #energianuclear #ia #energytransition #transicionenergetica #privateequity #venturecapital

In July 2024, USA removed fusion regulation from fission through this act making it easier to set up fusion based plants. Similar change is needed in India to promote clean and safe Nuclear Fusion based energy as well as other applications. #Nuclear #NuclearEnergy #NuclearFusion #AsplFusion https://lnkd.in/gJTSNnQ8

Guidehouse forecasts $8.1 billion revenues for modular reactors by 2034: Guidehouse forecasts $8.1 billion revenues for modular reactors by 2034 energynews A Guidehouse Research report anticipates strong growth in the global nuclear modular reactor market, with revenues rising from $375.8 million in 2025 to $8.1 billion in 2034.

⚛️⚡ Aalo Atomics Raises $100M to Build Modular Nuclear Plants for AI Data Centers 🤖🔋 Austin-based Aalo Atomics has secured $100M in Series B funding led by Valor Equity Partners, bringing total capital raised to $136M. The company is pioneering Extra Modular Reactors (XMRs), compact, factory-built nuclear plants designed to provide dedicated, scalable, and reliable power for hyperscale AI data centers. Its first full-scale non-nuclear prototype was completed earlier this year, with plans to achieve operational nuclear deployment by 2026. The funding will enable Aalo to double its workforce, expand manufacturing in Texas, and accelerate deployment of its flagship Aalo Pod, a 50 MWe modular plant housing five sodium-cooled reactors, designed for on-site colocation with data centers. With DOE support, site allocations at Idaho National Laboratory, and partnerships to develop up to 1 GW of nuclear capacity in Texas, Aalo is moving at record speed for nuclear innovation. Why it matters: AI’s exploding energy needs are reshaping the U.S. grid. Modular nuclear offers safe, compact, and dispatchable power that can scale in months, not decades, positioning Aalo as a critical enabler for AI infrastructure. 📢 The bigger picture: By merging nuclear innovation with manufacturing at scale, Aalo Atomics is redefining how clean energy is built and delivered, supporting U.S. energy resilience, AI competitiveness, and the next wave of industrial growth. #NuclearEnergy #AI #DataCenters #XMR #CleanEnergy #EnergyTransition #Innovation #Texas #EnergyResilience #FutureOfEnergy https://lnkd.in/epiHVYgB

Major data center operator Equinix (EQIX.O) has announced a series of agreements to secure advanced nuclear electricity, including power purchase agreements and a pre-order for microreactors, to fuel its data centers. The move comes as the growing energy demands of data centers, driven by technologies like generative artificial intelligence (AI), raise concerns about global power supplies. #nuclear #energy

𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐉𝐄𝐊𝟐 𝐍𝐮𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭: 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲, 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 Slovenia’s JEK2 nuclear power project has moved forward with feasibility studies showing that both Westinghouse’s AP1000 and EDF’s EPR designs are technically suitable for the site. Yet this development goes far beyond engineering—it reflects Slovenia’s broader concerns over energy security, EU decarbonization goals, and regional cooperation. https://lnkd.in/gRFNj-HE