Key facts
- Helion received $175 million in federal funding under the CHIPS Act.
- The funding aims to establish US manufacturing for high-voltage and pulsed semiconductors.
- The company plans to supply Microsoft with electricity from its Orion power plant by 2028.
- Helion has raised over $3.2 billion, making it the second-best-funded fusion startup.
- The funding will support R&D in Washington State and Vermont.
Fusion startup Helion announced on Thursday it has been awarded $175 million in federal funding to research, develop, and manufacture advanced semiconductors and power electronics for its fusion power plants. The funding, provided by the Department of Commerce under the CHIPS Act, aims to bolster domestic manufacturing of these critical components, which Helion believes could double the output of its future fusion systems by reducing electricity loss.
Helion is currently racing to complete its first power plant, Orion, by 2028 to supply Microsoft with electricity. The new funding will help establish automated semiconductor module, packaging, and testing capacity in Washington State, marking the first US manufacturing of this class of high-voltage and pulsed semiconductors.
In addition to the federal funding, Helion also announced a $50 million private investment, bringing its total raised to over $3.2 billion. The company's direct energy conversion approach to fusion relies on efficient power electronics to recover energy directly from fusion reactions.