Commonwealth Fusion has raised $2 billion to make energy like the sun and stars — here’s a look inside
The tokamak room at the Commonwealth Fusion Systems construction site where the tokamak will go that will, company executives tell CNBC, demonstrate net energy, a key milestone in achieving fusion.
Cat Clifford, CNBC
Commonwealth Fusion Systems CEO Bob Mumgaard is a student of the history of technology.
“If you go and you look at what fusion looks like today, you say, ‘Oh this feels kind of like flight in 1918,'” Mumgaard told CNBC in a recent video interview.
In June 1919, two British aviators and war veterans made the first-ever nonstop transatlantic flight, departing from St. John’s, Newfoundland, and landing in County Galway, Ireland. A century later, transatlantic flights are so common, they’re not even noteworthy.
Nuclear fusion is the way stars make energy. A fusion reaction releases more energy than nuclear fission, which is the way nuclear reactors generate power today. Similar to fission, fusion does not release any of the greenhouse gasses that cause global warming. Unlike fission, it also does not generate long-lasting nuclear waste.
For all these reasons, fusion is often called the “Holy Grail” of clean energy.
Research into a device that can replicate and maintain fusion on earth stretches back to the 1950s, but is showing new, if uneven, progress. Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Lab announced in May they were able to momentarily achieve the key fusion milestone known as ignition, where more power is generated from the reaction than goes into the reaction to get it going, but that was a brief flicker. A fusion power plant has been, so far, firmly rooted in the realm of science fiction.
Commonwealth is trying to change that, and has raised more than $2 billion in venture capital from the likes of Bill Gates, Gates’ climate investment firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Google, John Doerr, Khosla Ventures, Lowercarbon Capital, Marc Benioff’s TIME Ventures and more. That’s more private capital than any other fusion startup, according to the Fusion Industry Association, the industry’s trade group.
Last week, Commonwealth announced it was one of the eight companies selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to receive a collective $46 million in funding as it achieved certain preestablished milestones.
So why now?
Mumgaard is used to hearing all the reasons why fusion won’t work.
“The skepticism is understandable,” Mumgaard told CNBC. “That doesn’t bother us. We have to build things and show that they work.”
Historically, humans are slow to change their understanding of technological possibility.
“Everyone has different thresholds for what they have to see to believe something,” Mumgaard said. “When the Wright brothers were flying, you still had skeptics that said planes couldn’t exist.”
But Mumgaard also asks for a bit of optimism and curiosity, too. “You don’t have to believe us today. But you at least have to be interested in watching the story and tracking the story. And it’s a race. We’re at the beginning of a race,” Mumgaard told CNBC.
Bob Mumgaard, CEO, Commonwealth Fusion Systems.
Photo courtesy Commonwealth Fusion Systems
You don’t need to be a nuclear physicist to follow this race. Mumgaard laid out the stages for fusion watchers to look for. First, fusion companies need to make plasma, which is the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid and gas, and is the very fragile condition necessary to maintain a fusion reaction. Then, fusion companies need to make that plasma super hot. Then, that hot plasma has to be confined and protected. In the industry, this trio of conditions — density, temperature and confinement or insulation — is called the “triple product.”
Once fusion companies get that triple product, they then are going to start reaching ignition, after which they will generate an abundance of clean, waste-free energy.
Or so that’s the plan. Right now, that race is “accelerating,” Mumgaard says. “You’re seeing more entrants; you’re seeing entrants get faster and pull away.”
Demand for clean energy, advancements in science and development in the technology of the component parts necessary to make a fusion device are all coming together right now to make this moment the tipping point in the race for fusion, Mumgaard says.
The first factor is the increasingly urgent demand for new sources of energy that do not contribute to climate change.
The Commonwealth Fusion Systems campus is headquartered in Devens, Massachusetts, which is between 35 miles and 40 miles outside of downtown Boston.
Cat Clifford, CNBC
Top climate scientists at the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have said that to have “no or limited” overshoot of the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming above pre-industrial levels will require hitting net-zero around 2050. Knowing the world needs to go to net-zero global emissions by 2050 is akin to being in the analog age and knowing precisely when the Internet Revolution was going to begin, Mumgaard says.
“The energy transition is the largest market transition in human history,” Mumgaard told CNBC. That’s more than generating electricity. “How we generate power, how we make our chemicals, how we do our steel, how we do our cement — you are taking all of that and you are rebuilding it without carbon.”
Wind and solar energy are already being deployed at scale, but fusion can serve to replace large, baseload energy demands such as powering steel and cement manufacturing, industrial furnaces and urban centers. “That’s a missing hole,” Mumgaard told CNBC. “And it gets more and more acute as you get deeper and deeper into the transition.”
Nuclear fission could be that kind of baseload energy, but as Germany has very recently demonstrated, some populations are against fission because of the waste and risk of nuclear accidents similar to those at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
“We don’t want to limit our options to either force something that people don’t want, or to hope that we convince people of something that they’re dead set against,” Mumgaard told CNBC.
In addition to increased demand, a set of scientific and technological advances are also pushing fusion forward.
“We’ve constantly actually gotten better and better at fusion, even though from the outside, we haven’t passed a big milestone by making a fusion power plant,” Mumgaard told CNBC. “We’ve just accumulated a huge amount of science the same way like we accumulate a huge amount of science about gene sequence, about the genome.”
Large supercomputers are good enough now to simulate what is happening inside fusion devices, and technological developments such as machine learning and fast actuators are being applied to making fusion devices in new ways.
Most critically for Commonwealth, the capacity to build ultrastrong magnets is better now than it ever has been before.
Commonwealth uses those magnets to hold the plasma in place, and five years ago they didn’t exist, Mumgaard told CNBC, because the material used to make them didn’t exist at the quantities necessary.
The advanced manufacturing facility located at the Commonwealth Fusion Systems campus in Devens, Massachusetts, where magnets are manufactured.
Photo courtesy Commonwealth Fusion Systems
That material is a high-temperature superconducting tape. The breakthrough of making high-temperature superconducting material was achieved in the 1980s, and won two physicists the Nobel Prize in 1987 for their discovery. But it took a long time and lots of science before that material could be made outside a lab, Mumgaard says.
What it looks like to spend $2 billion to build a fusion machine
In the race to deliver fusion, Commonwealth is a front-runner.
“Since their founding only five years ago, the growth at Commonwealth Fusion Systems has been groundbreaking. Their growth is not based on speculation or idle promises, but on results,” Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association, a trade group, told CNBC. “Their leadership role in helping organize the fusion industry has lifted the whole industry toward a vision for commercialization on an aggressive timeline.”
At Commonwealth’s 50-acre headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts, about 40 miles from Boston, chief scientific officer Brandon Sorbom told CNBC the company has a significant procurement team managing the supply chain necessary to build a tokamak, the donut-shaped fusion device at the heart of the company’s system, in addition to an extensive team manufacturing parts on site.
The SPARC facility under construction at the Commonwealth Fusion Systems campus in Devens, Massachusetts.
Cat Clifford, CNBC
Right now, Commonwealth is focused on building its tokamak, called SPARC, with a goal of turning it on in 2025. It will shortly thereafter demonstrate net energy gain, Sorbom told CNBC.
After building SPARC, Commonwealth’s next goal is to build ARC, a more mature version of its fusion device that will deliver electricity to the grid, Sorbom told CNBC. ARC is scheduled to be completed in the early 2030s and will collect the heat generated by the fusion reaction in molten salt and use that heat to turn a turbine generator to make electricity, Sorbom added.
A rendering of the SPARC device Commonwealth Fusion Systems is building to demonstrate net energy.
Cat Clifford, CNBC
Early on, Commonwealth will develop and be partial owner of fusion power plants, Ally Yost, chief of staff, told CNBC, and will make money as other power generators do: by selling electricity.
But eventually, Commonwealth will operate more like Boeing does for the airline industry.
“They are the designers and owners of the IP around the designs of the planes. They are manufacturers of key components.” Commonwealth may also have a service component of its business and customers will likely be utilities, industrial companies or energy-hungry tech companies, Yost told CNBC.
Reporter Cat Clifford in the Commonwealth Fusion Systems tokamak room where the SPARC facility will demonstrate net energy.
Cat Clifford, CNBC
But right now, the focus is getting the demonstration plant, SPARC, turned on.
The facility that will house SPARC has five prongs, and at the center is the room that houses the tokamak, Alex Creely, the head of tokamak operations, told CNBC during a tour of the facility. It will be 25 feet tall and about 25 feet in diameter, and the ARC tokamak is going to be roughly twice as big.
The Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ SPARC facility under construction in Devens, Massachusetts.
Cat Clifford, CNBC
Even though Commonwealth is still only building its first demonstration reactor, Mumgaard sees the dawning of the fusion age as inevitable.
“To know that it is not just scientifically feasible, but industrially feasible and commercially feasible, and that there is momentum to turn that into a product and take that heat and turn it into electricity, that is a big deal,” Mumgaard told CNBC. “Once you know you have that option, how does it change that bigger story on climate?”
Three years since the arrival of OpenAI‘s ChatGPT, more devices featuring generative AI technology have hit the market in time for the 2025 holiday shopping season, with many offering deals for Black Friday.
Shoppers can pick from more advanced smart glasses, smart speakers with genAI and a pendant AI friend that acts as a confidant.
These latest gizmos come from megacaps like Amazon, Alphabet and Meta and smaller players like Friend and Plaud.
Despite the arrival of this new wave of products, reviews for many of the devices are mixed, and nothing has separated itself as a clear leader of the pack.
That’s in part because much of the spending on artificial intelligence has been focused on other things.
Since ChatGPT was released in late 2022, the bulk of the tech industry has reoriented itself to prioritize building out large language models in a race to reach artificial general intelligence, or AI with the capabilities that are on par with, or surpass, humans.
Thus far, much of the development in Silicon Valley has focused on AI apps, including chatbots like Anthropic’s Claude, image generators like Google’s Nano Banana or feeds for AI-generated short-form videos like OpenAI’s Sora. All things people can access on their existing smartphones without a spiffy new gadget.
But the world of AI hardware is growing fast.
If you’re in the market for the latest AI devices, here’s what’s available to snag this holiday season.
Daniel Rausch, vice president of Alexa and Echo, announces the Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max during an Amazon event showcasing new products in New York City, U.S., September 30, 2025.
Kylie Cooper | Reuters
Alexa+ Echo speakers
Amazon wants to make sure its Alexa voice assistant and Echo smart speakers don’t get left behind in the era of genAI.
The company unveiled Alexa+ in February, promising a smarter, more conversational and personalized version of its 11-year-old digital assistant. In September, it followed up with a new set of Echo speakers and displays, which are the first devices to come with Alexa+ out of the box.
The lineup includes a $100 Echo Dot Max, $180 Echo Show, $220 Echo Studio and $220 Echo Show 11.
The Echo Dot Max is an entry-level, all-purpose smart speaker, while the Echo Studio is larger, pricier and offers better sound quality. The main difference between Amazon’s smart displays, the Echo Show 8 and Echo Show 11, is the touchscreen size.
All of the devices have improved sensors, speakers and microphones.
Amazon is offering 11% off the cost of the Echo Show 11 and 10% off the Echo Dot Max as part of its Black Friday promotions.
With the upgrades, Amazon is aiming to have users engage more often with the devices than their predecessors. Consumers frequently complained that Alexa had grown outdated while the Echo devices offered little utility beyond setting timers, spouting weather forecasts, playing music and controlling smart home accessories, like turning lights on and off.
Amazon’s recent Alexa ad tries to paint a different picture.
Comedian Pete Davidson strolls through his kitchen when an Alexa-equipped Echo Show announces, unprompted, that the “Coffee’s on, and your Uber is on its way.” Davidson then casually banters back and forth with Alexa about his preferred nickname.
The interaction is meant to showcase a few of Alexa+’s biggest selling points — users don’t have to repeat a so-called “wake word” after every command, allowing the conversation to flow more naturally.
The devices can also now connect to external services to take actions on users’ behalf. As of now, Alexa+ can book an Uber or OpenTable reservation, generate a song via Suno, plan a trip through Fodor’s, schedule a repairman visit and purchase concert tickets through Ticketmaster. Amazon has said it expects to add more capabilities soon.
Alexa+ isn’t yet available to the general public. Consumers have to wait to receive Early Access or purchase a new Echo model to use it.
Amazon is offering Alexa+ for free to users with Early Access, but at some point, the company will begin charging non-Prime members $19.99 a month for the service.
The company is also making moves in wearables.
Amazon in July announced plans to acquire AI company Bee for an undisclosed amount, indicating that it could have more hardware infused with the technology in the works. Bee is known for its $50 wristband that uses AI and microphones to listen to and analyze conversations, then provide to-do lists, summaries and reminders for everyday tasks.
— Annie Palmer
A person holds Google Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro Fold mobile phones during the ‘Made by Google’ event, organised to introduce the latest additions to Google’s Pixel portfolio of devices, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., August 20, 2025.
Brendan McDermid | Reuters
Google’s AI-powered Pixel 10 series
Although the Gemini-powered Google Home Speaker won’t roll out until the spring, Alphabet did deliver some generative AI tech this year.
Launched in August, the Pixel 10 smartphones thoroughly integrate Google’s AI into several features, such as live translation, text-based photo editing and the built-in Gemini assistant.
The baseline Pixel 10 starts at $799, while the Pro lineup includes the $999 Pixel 10 Pro, the $1,199 Pixel Pro XL and the $1,799 Pixel 10 Pro Fold. The Pro line offers a higher quality camera and display, as well as additional video features.
Among the AI products is “Magic Cue,” which connects data across different apps to surface relevant information and suggest helpful actions. For example, if a user receives a message asking about a dinner reservation’s location, Magic Cue can find the answer from the calendar app.
For snapping pictures, Google provides an AI “Camera Coach,” which scans the scene of a photo and offers recommendations about framing, lighting and other techniques to improve the image.
The Pixel 10 Pro phones come with a one-year subscription to Google’s “AI Pro” plan, which typically costs $19 per month and offers multiple AI tools, including writing assistant NotebookLM and video generator Veo 3.
All the Pixel 10 models are currently on sale for $200 to $300 off until Dec. 6, except for the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, which has a $300 markdown until Dec. 2, the company said.
— Jaures Yip
The Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses at Meta headquarters in Menlo Park, California, US, on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025.
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Meta’s AI-infused Ray-Ban smart glasses
Meta’s partnership with eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica, originally inked in 2019, has spawned a surprise hit in the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses that both companies are keen to boast about.
With the Meta AI digital assistant, users can command the camera-equipped glasses to take photos, play tunes and to answer questions about nearby landmarks.
In September, the two companies debuted the latest version of the glasses, dubbed Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2).
The new model has double the battery life of its predecessor and an improved camera. It costs $379, which is $80 than the prior version.
Meta and Luxottica this year also launched two smart glasses aimed at athletes under the Oakley brand.
The $399 Oakley Meta HSTN glasses are pitched toward casual athletes who want to take photos while playing sports like golf, while the $499 Oakley Meta Vanguard smart glasses are geared toward the action-sports crowd, like skiers.
The Vanguard glasses feature a flashier wraparound design and two buttons on the frames’ underside that lets helmet-wearing athletes easily take photos and videos and perform other actions.
For those willing to spend big money and test new technology, Meta and Luxottica also rolled out the $799 Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses in September.
They are the first glasses Meta sells to the public that include a display, albeit a small one, in just one of the lenses. The display is intended to show users small bits of information, like navigation directions. The glasses also include a wristband that utilizes neural technology so users can command the device with gestures like rotating one’s fingers to adjust volume.
Buying the $799 glasses, though, is not easy.
Meta requires that people sign-up for in-person demos at stores like Best Buy and LensCrafters before buying the product, and the company warns that “availability varies by store, so you may not be able to purchase a pair immediately after your demo.”
Early reviews for the display glasses have been mixed.
Some reviewers have praised the device’s color display, camera and innovative wristband. Still, others have criticized its high price and have said its lack of apps limit functionality.
Meta is currently offering a few Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for some of its various AI-powered smart glasses that will last until Dec. 1.
People can save 20% on all versions of the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 1) at Best Buy, Target, Amazon and also at Meta’s website and the Ray-Ban website and stores. Meta is also offering 20% off the cost of prescription lenses for people who buy the Ray-Ban Meta (Gen 2) and Oakley Meta HSTN glasses from its website.
— Jonathan Vanian
Friend AI Pendant
Source: Friend
The AI friend you wear around as a pendant
Most AI chatbots want to make the user more productive. The makers of this smart pendant want AI to be your friend.
Users wear Friend, as the product is aptly called, around their necks while the $129 device listens to the conversations happening around it.
Friend’s chatbot is powered by Google Gemini, and it offers commentary on the user’s conversation and life. Those comments appear as notifications through the device’s corresponding smartphone app.
For example, when one reviewer played a new Taylor Swift song for her AI friend, the device commented through a notification that it didn’t “think it’s bad at all” and “pretty typical for pop.”
The device is at the center of the societal debate about the rise of AI.
Friend plastered a subway station in New York this fall with ads that suggested that the pendant was better than a real friend, promising that it “will never bail on our dinner plans.”
The posters were immediately defaced with messages like “AI wouldn’t care if you lived or died.”
Those wanting to experience what it’s like to wear around an AI friend should place orders swiftly.
The company’s website currently says units will be shipping “Winter 2025/26,” but Friend founder Avi Schiffmann told CNBC that devices ordered early enough will ship before Christmas.
— Kif Leswing
Plaud Note
Source: Plaud
Plaud, the AI recorder
The Plaud Note looks more like a credit card than a voice recorder, but it’s an ideal purchase for any note taker who wants to capture meetings, lectures or any dictation.
With over 30 hours of recording time and battery that last 60 days on standby, the slim device can produce transcriptions in 112 languages. The transcriptions include tags for each speaker on the audio.
The recorder’s companion app is powered by OpenAI’s GPT-5, Anthropic’s Claude Sonnet 4 and Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro. The app uses those AI models to generate detailed summaries and notes. Users can select from over 3,000 summary templates, such as phone Q&As or seminar notes.
The Plaud App’s basic plan offers 300 minutes of transcription per month, though users can upgrade to a pro plan for 1,200 minutes for $8.33 per month or a more expensive unlimited plan for $19.99 per month.
The recorder can easily be attached to phones with MagSafe magnets, meaning all Apple smartphones since the iPhone 12 series, or phone cases with similar magnets.
The company also offers the Plaud NotePin, a smaller, pill-shaped version of the recorder that can be worn as a magnetic pin, clip, wristband or necklace.
Typically priced at $159, both devices are currently on sale for 20% off during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with another 15% markdown set for Christmas, the company said.
— Jaures Yip
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