Google has signed a groundbreaking agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems, a nuclear startup backed by Bill Gates, in one of the first commercial deals for fusion energy. The tech giant plans to purchase 200 megawatts of power from CFS's upcoming affordable, robust, and compact fusion plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia, enough to supply roughly 75,000 homes, The Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the Journal, this deal represents a defining moment for the fusion energy sector. Fusion, the same reaction that powers the sun, has never been used commercially since most nuclear plants today rely on fission, a technology that splits atoms to produce energy. Fusion, by contrast, generates energy by fusing atoms, promising a nearly limitless supply of power with minimal radioactive waste.
