Climate Crisis Intel #103
Many experts believe fusion power remains decades away. Microsoft is betting it is just around the corner.
Microsoft has agreed to purchase electricity from startup Helion Energy. Helion has agreed to produce electricity generated by fusion by 2028. This is amazingly bold commitment given that no one, including Helion, has yet produced electricity from fusion.
Fusion powers the sun and stars and has the potential to provide limitless amounts of carbon-free power if it can be harnessed on earth. Helion. Is boldly building a prototype it says will demonstrate the ability to produce electricity through fusion by next year.
Helion is backed by OpenAI founder Sam Altman, the artificial intelligence startup behind the viral chatbot ChatGPT. “The goal is not to make the world’s coolest technology demo,” Mr. Alman said in an interview. “The goal is to power the world and to do it extremely cheaply.” Source: The Wall Street Journal