Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli, former Google DeepMind colleagues, have founded Fusionality, a company that aims to streamline the development of control systems for nuclear fusion reactors. Their innovation addresses the challenge faced by many fusion startups — a dearth of suppliers who can provide the necessary components and expertise. By building on the commonalities between reactor designs, Felici and Buchli hope to accelerate the transition to fusion power, which harnesses the energy released when atoms fuse, to generate electricity.

The control systems used in fusion reactors are complex and require precise, split-second decision-making to maintain the proper conditions for plasma. While AI is likely to play a role in these systems, it will complement rather than fully replace human expertise. Felici and Buchli are focused on developing a suite of technologies that can be customized for different reactor designs, making it easier for startups to bring their innovations to market.

Fusionality is part of an emerging supply chain that is supporting the burgeoning fusion power industry. Some startups are developing components that will help turn engineering breakthroughs into electricity for the grid, while others specialize in high-precision parts. Felici and Buchli met while teaching AI to control an experimental tokamak, a device used to study fusion power, and recognized the potential for AI to enhance the control systems used in fusion reactors.

The company is currently focused on magnetic confinement, a method that uses powerful electromagnets to keep fusion fuel dense and hot enough to feed a power plant. Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Realta Fusion, Proxima Fusion, and Type One Energy are among the startups developing magnetic confinement devices. Eventually, Fusionality plans to develop systems for other approaches to fusion power, including those that use inertial confinement.

Fusionality’s pre-seed funding will help the team, currently seven strong, develop a “tightly selected number of technologies,” which Felici likens to Lego blocks. The ambition is to serve the wide range of technology needed to operate a fusion reactor, making the transition to this promising form of renewable energy more feasible.