Fusionality Fuels Fusion Control Systems

Fusionality, founded this year in Lausanne, is poised to become a key player in the emerging fusion power supply chain. The startup has successfully raised $3.7 million (CHF 3 million) in pre-seed funding to develop standardized control systems for fusion reactors.

Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli, the company's CEO and CTO respectively, identified a critical gap in the market: a lack of specialized providers for the complex hardware and software needed to control fusion devices. Many fusion companies currently build these systems from scratch, a process Fusionality aims to streamline by offering modular solutions.

The company is initially focusing on magnetic confinement fusion, a method employing powerful electromagnets to maintain the necessary conditions for fusion. This approach is being pursued by several prominent startups. Fusionality's strategy involves building a suite of control systems and simulation environments that can be customized by clients for their specific reactor designs.

Felici and Buchli, who met while developing AI for fusion control at EPFL and Google DeepMind, believe their venture capital will enable the development of a foundational set of technologies, akin to 'Lego blocks,' to support a wide range of fusion reactor operational needs.