Focused Energy

Where does laser fusion really stand today — and how do we progress from ignition to commercialization? ⚡️ In the latest episode of All Things Photonics, our co-founder & CEO, Thomas Forner, joined host Joe Kuczynski to discuss what comes after ignition — and how laser fusion can become an industrial reality. 🔊 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ewb3_Wak Thomas captures the moment well: "We've already flown — ignition has been demonstrated. Now, the question is: how do we get from that first 12-second flight to something that crosses the Atlantic safely, reliably, every day?" In the episode, they explore:  • what it takes to go from "one ignition per month" to "ten per second",
 • why laser fusion is inherently safe and requires only minimal fuel resources,
 • how AI, high-energy lasers, and mass-produced targets will shape he next decade of innovation,
 • and why building an industry around fusion matters as much as building the power plants. At Focused Energy, we are developing Europe's first pilot plant for laser fusion by converting the former Biblis fission site into a research, engineering, and innovation campus — a foundation for a future fusion industry. A clear and realistic conversation about where fusion truly is today. Photonics Media

Got a minute? The new episode of New Nuclear Now is live. 🎙️ I sat down with Antony Harding to discuss where fusion truly stands. It's not a switch flip, but the steady build of a global industry alongside today's energy system. Here's what we cover (fast read): • Why we chose laser fusion — what NIF's ignition unlocks (real data → better simulations/digital twins). • The shift from scientific risk to engineering challenges, including high-rep lasers, precision targets, machine protection, and an integrated fuel cycle. • Milestones follow the risks we need to retire — technical, supply chain, financing, and licensing. This way, we de-risk in the right order. • How Biblis (DE) provides a viable site and regulatory pathway for an Innovation & Fusion Campus. • A 2050 outlook: Industry at scale, prosperity gains, and how energy abundance could power desalination, carbon removal, and more. 🎧 Listen here: https://lnkd.in/dNT3VKTA #NewNuclearNow #FusionEnergy PACE People

We are pleased to share that our co-founder and CEO, Thomas Forner, will participate in ASCEND 2025, the flagship innovation conference under the Danish EU Presidency. Hosted by the Danish Ministry for Higher Education and Science in collaboration with DTU - Technical University of Denmark, and co-sponsored by the EIC - European Innovation Council and the Novo Nordisk Foundation, ASCEND will bring together Europe’s leading innovators, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and investors to answer a crucial question: How does Europe turn world-class science into globally scalable deep-tech companies? Currently, Europe excels in research but still lags in scaling breakthrough technologies. The EU’s new Startup and Scaleup Strategy, along with the upcoming European Innovation Act, aim to change that — and ASCEND will help shape the path forward. 🎤 Session Highlight: Thomas will join a panel of ministers, business leaders, and innovation experts to discuss how member states can unlock Europe’s collective potential, covering topics such as industrial strategy, regulatory frameworks, talent, capital, and cross-border collaboration. We look forward to contributing to this dialogue and advancing the ecosystem needed for European deep tech — and fusion energy — to thrive globally. #ASCEND2025 #DeepTech #Innovation 

🇪🇺 Focused Energy at the European Parliament: This morning, Prof. Wolfgang Theobald presented the fundamentals and industrial pathway of laser fusion at the Fusion Industry Association's Breakfast Briefing, hosted by MEP Matej Tonin at the European Parliament. As the EU prepares its first Fusion Energy Strategy, one message came through clearly: 👉 Europe needs clarity, speed, and an industrial framework that enables fusion to scale. Our presentation covered: ➜ How inertial fusion works: From laser-driven target heating and compression to ignition and energy gain. ➜  Why laser fusion is uniquely scalable: The physical separation of driver (laser) and target allows flexible combinations of laser systems, ignition schemes, and chamber protection concepts, which are key for industrial deployment. ➜ What Europe must do now: Beyond funding, Europe needs to build supply chains, strengthen manufacturing capacity, and provide regulatory certainty. Our core message to policymakers: “Fusion isn’t held back by science – it’s held back by the absence of a European supply chain and industrial enabling conditions.” Europe can build a complete fusion ecosystem: world-class lasers, target manufacturing, materials, engineering, and high-tech industry. The window of opportunity is open — now we must scale. A warm thank you to MEP Matej Tonin, the Fusion Industry Association, and all participants for an open, forward-looking discussion. 🙏

🏆 Auszeichnung für Prof. Dr. Markus Roth – einer der „Top of the Table 2025“! Wir freuen uns sehr: Unser Mitgründer und CSO Prof. Dr. Markus Roth wurde vom Research.Table Professional Briefing erneut zu den 100 wichtigsten Köpfen der Wissenschaft in Deutschland gewählt. Mit der Reihe „Top of the Table 2025“ würdigt Table.Briefings Persönlichkeiten, die Forschung, Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft prägen – Menschen, die Verantwortung übernehmen, Wandel gestalten und Zukunftstechnologien mitgestalten. Markus Roth steht für genau diesen Brückenschlag: ↳ Als Professor an der TU Darmstadt forscht er an den Grundlagen der Laser- und Plasmaphysik. ↳ Als Mitgründer von Focused Energy bringt er diese Forschung in die industrielle Anwendung – um Laserfusion als saubere, sichere und wettbewerbsfähige Energiequelle der Zukunft Realität werden zu lassen. Eine verdiente Anerkennung für wissenschaftliche Exzellenz, unternehmerische Vision und Mut zum Fortschritt. 👏

🔙 Last Month, part of our Focused Energy team visited the ELI Beamlines Facility Dolní Břežany near Prague, one of Europe’s leading centers for high-intensity laser research. The visit provided valuable insights into the operation of large laser facilities from engineering and integration perspectives, including facility development, controls architecture, electrical systems, and mechanical design. These types of exchanges help us refine our approach as we plan and develop future laser and fusion facilities. Thank you to the ELI Beamlines team for the constructive discussions and hospitality. 🙏

Last week, our co-founder and CEO, Thomas Forner, and president and CFO, Christopher Wendel, joined fusion innovators, investors, and policymakers at FusionX:Singapore to discuss how collaboration and industrial innovation can accelerate the path to fusion commercialization. 📍 Panel highlight: Thomas shared Focused Energy's roadmap for bringing laser fusion from research to real-world energy during the "Path to Commercialization" panel with Renaissance Fusion, Marvel Fusion, and OpenStar Technologies. Key meetings & moments: → Conversations with Stuart Allen and Nick Davies from FusionX Group about strengthening international collaboration in fusion development. → Exchanges with Heng-Tong CHOO (CEO, SG Growth Capital) and Jui Lim (CEO, SGInnovate) — alongside our 3D reactor model — on fusion's industrial potential for Asia. → A meeting with Ms. Siow Huang Gan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade & Industry, on how Singapore's openness to innovation could make it an early adopter of fusion energy. 🤝 And these were just a few of many great discussions that underscored the momentum behind fusion commercialization. Singapore's high energy demand, strategic location, and commitment to innovation make it an ideal environment for clean, domestic energy technologies, such as fusion. Thank you to FusionX and SGInnovate for hosting such an inspiring gathering — and to everyone helping turn fusion's promise into progress. #FusionEnergy #LaserFusion #FusionXSG

💯 We're proud to support the introduction of the Fusion Advanced Manufacturing Parity Act (H.R. 5441) — a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate that would expand the Advanced Manufacturing Production Credit (Section 45X) to include components for fusion energy systems.   At Focused Energy, our mission is to make laser-driven fusion a commercial reality, providing clean, secure, and affordable energy produced in America, while strengthening the nation's manufacturing base.   📈 By extending a 25 % tax credit to qualifying fusion components, this legislation would empower U.S. manufacturers, lower production costs, and accelerate the development of critical fusion supply chains that will define the next era of energy innovation.   The United States has a unique combination of industrial capability, scientific excellence, and entrepreneurial drive. This bill represents a decisive step toward uniting these strengths within the emerging fusion energy industry.   ➜ Fusion is not just the future of clean energy; it's the future of American innovation and competitiveness. We look forward to working with policymakers, national labs, and industry partners to ensure fusion becomes a cornerstone of U.S. energy leadership for decades to come. ⚡️ This is an inspiring example of how policy can accelerate innovation. Could a similar approach help Europe and Germany strengthen their path toward fusion commercialization?   #FusionEnergy #LaserFusion U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)

Laser fusion — from breakthrough to reality? ⚡ Later today, tune in to the Physics Today webinar “Energy from Laser Fusion” with our Senior Scientists Debra Callahan and Stefano Atzeni. They’ll explore what’s been achieved since fusion ignition at NIF — and what’s next on the path toward clean, limitless energy. 📅 October 30, 2025 🕓 11:00 AM EDT / 4:00 PM CET Don’t miss it — register here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eH-tUVFJ 

Today marks the launch of the Hightech Agenda Germany — a new national initiative aimed at accelerating breakthrough technologies and strengthening Germany's innovation leadership. ⚡   #FusionEnergy is among the six key technologies highlighted in the strategy, along with AI, quantum technology, and other deep-tech fields. The agenda recognizes the potential of laser fusion to provide clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy, while creating new industrial value chains across Germany and Europe.   At Focused Energy, we fully support this vision. ↳ Germany needs innovation hubs that go beyond research, connecting engineering, component development, and industrial implementation. ↳ The Biblis project can become a lighthouse for Europe's fusion industry by demonstrating how science and industry can transform fusion from a mere promise into tangible progress. ↳ By advancing laser fusion with the right regulatory framework — outside the Atomic Energy Act — Germany can move faster and strengthen its global position.   We're proud to be part of today's kickoff event in Berlin and to contribute to shaping the future of fusion within Germany's High Tech Agenda.   #LaserFusion #HightechAgenda #MadeInGermany Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt SPRIND - Bundesagentur für Sprunginnovationen