Fusion energy startups are increasingly collaborating with the defense sector as traditional climate tech venture funding slows down. These companies leverage their laser-based technologies to address the military's growing demand for cost-effective, high-energy weaponry capable of countering modern drone threats.
Xcimer, a Denver-based startup, recently secured an investment from RTX Ventures. The partnership allows the defense conglomerate to explore the application of Xcimer's high-power laser systems. Xcimer currently operates the Phoenix laser system, which the company describes as the largest privately owned laser facility in the world.
Pacific Fusion has signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Nuclear Security Administration to conduct high-energy-density fusion experiments. The company is constructing a demonstration facility in New Mexico, situated near the Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories, to test its fusion reactor design.
The facility aims to demonstrate net energy gain, but its fusion reactions are also expected to exceed the power levels currently utilized by the government for nuclear weapons testing. Founders of Pacific Fusion noted that defense applications were a strategic consideration during the company's development.
