Nuclear fusion is a process in which two light atomic nuclei, typically isotopes of hydrogen, combine to form a heavier nucleus, releasing an enormous amount of energy. It powers the sun and stars and has the potential to provide clean, safe, and virtually limitless energy on Earth. Unlike nuclear fission, fusion does not produce long-lived radioactive waste and relies on abundant fuel sources, such as deuterium and lithium. However, achieving controlled fusion reactions at a practical scale has been considered the Holy Grail of energy and remains a considerable engineering challenge.
Hephaestus is taking a massive shortcut by developing the world's first AI tools to accelerate fusion design by over 3x. These tools provide:
- Stable Fusion, without increasing reactor costs
- Fewer Parts, by removing components made obsolete by AI control
- Faster Commissioning, by accelerating Design ←→ Run loops by over 3x