Enabling a future
with unlimited
clean electricity
Our founders
Dr. David Kirtley
Founder & CEO
Chris Pihl
Co-Founder & CTO
Dr. George Votroubek
Co-Founder & Director of Research
Our investors
Sam Altman
Dustin Moskovitz
Reid Hoffman
The evolution
of fusion
Helion - first to fusion
Helion's unique pulsed, non-ignition-fusion device will generate zero-carbon electricity from deuterium and helium-3. This is made possible by combining modern power electronics with the work done by scientists and engineers since the 1950s.
1958
The Three-stage Toy Top device is developed and tested by Dr. Coensgen as part of Project Sherwood at the University of California Radiation Lab (UCRL). The device compresses plasma in three staged chambers to produce a high-density, high-temperature plasma. Experiments demonstrate the machine's ability to achieve ion energies several hundred times their value at injection through a multi-stage compression approach.
1969
Tokamak T-3 is tested by Mirnov at the Kuchatov Institute. T-3 exhibits electron temperatures up to 1 keV and densities as high as 3x10¹³ cm⁻³. The results demonstrate superior low-density plasma conditions compared to any other fusion device at the time. Mirnov's results are US validated.
These results are extremely promising and lead scientists to pursue tokamaks as the primary fusion device. Billions of dollars are spent on tokamak concepts for the coming decades.
1971
The 2X - experiment is conducted by Coensgen at Livermore National Lab. Hot dense plasma is captured then compressed in a magnetic well mirror field. Maximum mean ion energy reaches 8 keV and exceeds any competing technique for more than a decade. This demonstrated that high-temperature plasmas can be held long enough for fusion to occur. These approaches reached the limits of pulsed, high-voltage electronics at the time.
1992
The Large-S Experiment (LSX), conducted by Alan Hoffman's team at University of Washington, provides US validation of field-reversed configuration (FRC) formation and confinement of fusion-relevant plasmas for up to 1 ms. High-beta plasmas are formed and provide good confinement with large-trapped magnetic flux and plasma magnetic radius.
2008
Helion's founding team constructs IPA (Inductive Plasma Accelerator) as a proof of concept at MSNW in Redmond, WA. IPA demonstrates high-beta formation, acceleration, and merging of FRC plasmas for the first time, proving a viable target for magnetic compression.
2010
The team constructs IPA-C (Inductive Plasma Accelerator - Compression), which demonstrates the first compression of FRC plasmas to fusion conditions. Using a high-beta FRC, IPA-C heats deuterium fuel to 1+ keV and measures significant amounts of neutrons, proving evidence for a fusion reaction. IPA-C is celebrated as best fusion of 2011 by the Journal of Nuclear Fusion.
2013
Dr. David Kirtley, Chris Pihl, Dr. John Slough, and Dr. George Votroubek found Helion with the goal to build a fusion system designed for commercial electricity.
2014
Grande, Helion's 4th fusion prototype, is developed to test high field operation. Grande achieves magnetic field compression of 4 Tesla, forms cm-scale FRCs, and reaches plasma temperatures of 5 keV. Grande outperforms any other private fusion company.
2015
Helion demonstrates the first direct magnetic energy recovery from a subscale pulsed magnetic system, utilizing modern high-voltage insulated gate bipolar transistors to recover energy at over 95% round-trip efficiency for over 1 million pulses. In a smaller system, the team demonstrates the formation of more than 1 billion FRCs.
2018
Venti, Helion's 5th fusion prototype, is constructed to test the scalability of the results from IPA-C and Grande. Venti produces magnetic fields of 7 Tesla and reaches ion temperatures of 2 keV at high density. Fusion output is the highest ever recorded by private or pulsed magnetic fusion.
2020
Trenta, Helion's 6th fusion prototype, demonstrates the largest and most energetic high-beta or FRC fusion plasmas ever created. Trenta compresses FRC plasmas to over 8 Tesla, reaches plasma temperatures greater than 9 keV (100M°C) (ion temperatures over 8 keV and electron temperatures over 2 keV), and proves sufficient plasma confinement to generate electricity.
News
Microsoft signs power purchase deal with nuclear fusion company Helion
Private U.S. nuclear fusion company Helion Energy will provide Microsoft with electricity in about five years, the companies said on Wednesday.
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News
Microsoft Bets That Fusion Power Is Closer Than Many Think
Startup backed by OpenAI founder Sam Altman agrees to provide tech giant with electricity by 2028
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Press release
Announcing Helion’s fusion power purchase agreement with Microsoft
In pursuit of building the world’s first fusion power plant, enabling a future with unlimited clean electricity
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News
Tech Billionaires Bet on Fusion as Holy Grail for Business
Sam Altman has placed one of the biggest bets of his career on a company that might be even more futuristic than OpenAI: a nuclear-fusion startup called Helion Energy Inc.
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News
Nuclear fusion will not be regulated the same way nuclear fission is - a big win for the fusion industry
The nation’s top regulatory body for nuclear power plants and other nuclear materials, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, has officially voted to regulate nuclear fusion differently than fission.
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News
The 2022 Good Tech Awards
Nuclear fusion, generative A.I., bee tracking and more. There’s a lot to like.
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News
What it feels like to visit a fusion company lab on a day when wildfire smoke cloaks the horizon
Visiting Helion Energy’s enormous workspace and lab in Everett, Wash., pulled the idea of fusion out of the completely fantastical and into the potentially real for me.
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Press release
Helion supports Congressional call for differentiated regulatory framework for fusion energy
Appropriate regulation will enable Helion to safely and rapidly deploy fusion electricity to the grid
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News
Helion Energy: New Everett company has sun in its eyes
The firm is the winner of a new award by Economic Alliance Snohomish County, called Opportunity Lives Here.
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News
Readout of the White House Summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy
The Biden-Harris Administration is developing a strategy to accelerate fusion energy– a clean energy technology that uses the same reaction that powers the Sun and stars.
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News
Can fusion-powered Helion Energy change the world - from Everett?
From its new Everett headquarters, Helion Energy hopes to changes how the world produces energy.
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News
Helion secures $2.2B to commercialize fusion energy
Helion Energy, a clean energy company committed to creating a new era of plentiful, zero-carbon electricity from fusion, today announced the close of its $0.5 billion Series E, with an additional $1.7 billion of commitments tied to specific milestones.
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Press release
Announcing Helion's latest fundraise of $500 million
This new funding will be used to accelerate our construction of Polaris, expected to demonstrate net electricity from fusion in 2024.
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News
Redmond-based clean energy startup to build pioneering fusion energy facility
Local startup Helion Energy said Tuesday it will build a facility in Everett to test the latest version of its “fusion energy” generator, a project it said has the potential to create electricity without producing any carbon emissions.
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Press release
Helion Energy Breaks Ground on Site of Its Next-Generation Fusion Facility in Everett, Washington
Washington Governor Jay Inslee and Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin attend in support of the company’s expansion of operations and creation of new clean energy jobs.
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News
Helion Energy Achieves Key Fusion Milestone
US-based Helion Energy announced that its sixth fusion generator prototype has exceeded 100 million degrees Celsius. The prototype, called Trenta, has undergone a 16-month series of reliability and durability tests on key components of the fusion process.
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Press release
Helion Energy Achieves 100 Million Degrees Celsius Fusion Fuel Temperature and Confirms 16-Month Continuous Operation of Its Fusion Generator Prototype
Both Mark Significant Achievements In Path Toward Commercial Fusion Electricity.
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News
Helion listed as a Y Combinator Top Company in 2021
Startup Helion Energy is ranked in the top 30 Y Combinator companies in 2021.
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Press release
Fusion Energy Startup Helion Energy Closes Latest Funding Round at $1.25B Valuation
The company raised $40 million in Series D funding, accelerating Helion’s ability to innovate new technology that will create a path to unlimited, clean electricity from fusion.
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