Proxima Fusion's 'Stellaris' Reactor Design Marks Milestone in Race for Clean Energy
- Proxima Fusion has published the first peer-reviewed fusion power plant concept demonstrating reliable, continuous operation in the journal Fusion Engineering and Design.
- The German startup completed its “Stellaris” design a year ahead of schedule and aims to build a fully operational fusion reactor by 2031.
- The company has secured $65 million in funding from the EU, the German government and venture capital, including $35 million from the European Union and German government and $30 million in venture capital.
Proxima Fusion's 'Stellaris' reactor design outlines continuous fusion operation
Proxima Fusion, a two-year-old German startup, has published plans for a working fusion power plant in a peer-reviewed journal. The company’s “Stellaris” design is described as the first peer-reviewed fusion power plant concept demonstrating reliable, continuous operation without the instabilities that have plagued other approaches.
The design was published in Fusion Engineering and Design. Proxima Fusion chose to share its findings publicly to support open-source science.
“Our American friends can see it. Our Chinese friends can see it. Our claim is that we can execute on this faster than anyone else, and we do that by creating a framework for integrated physics, engineering, and economics. So we're not a science project anymore,” Dr. Francesco Sciortino, co-founder and CEO of Proxima Fusion, told TechCrunch.
How stellarators differ from tokamaks
Unlike traditional nuclear fission reactors that create radioactive waste, nuclear fusion releases vast amounts of energy with zero carbon emissions and minimal radiation.
Fusion technology falls into two main categories: tokamaks and stellarators. Both use electromagnets to contain fusion plasma.
Tokamaks rely on external magnets and an induced plasma current but suffer from instability. Stellarators use only external magnets, theoretically enabling better stability and continuous operation.
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Stellaris design completed ahead of schedule
Proxima Fusion completed the Stellaris design one year ahead of schedule.
“We started out as a group of founders saying it's going to take us two years to get to the Stellaris design… We actually finished after one year. So we've accelerated by a year,” Sciortino added.
Proxima Fusion's funding and 2031 reactor target
Founded in 2023, Proxima has secured $65 million in funding. That includes $35 million from the European Union and German government, alongside $30 million in venture capital.
The company aims to build a fully operational fusion reactor by 2031, positioning it as a serious competitor to U.S.-based Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which is backed by Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
Ian Hogarth, Partner at Plural and one of Proxima Fusion’s earliest investors, emphasized the significance:
“When Proxima started its journey, the founders said, 'This is possible, we'll prove it to you.'
And they did. Stellaris positions QI-HTS stellarators as the leading technology in the global race to commercial fusion.”
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