Helion Energy, a nuclear fusion technology startup, has named Microsoft as one of its first customers. By 2028, Microsoft could source electricity generated by compressing helium atoms.

Helion Energy’s announcement comes as a bit of a surprise, The Register knows. The technology for achieving energy gains from nuclear fusion is still largely theoretical. The few successful tests brought only minimal energy gains. The most successful experiment came from Lawrence Livermore. Late last year, his lab managed to generate up to 3.15 megajoules of fusion energy in a fraction of a second. That’s a nice result in itself, but it’s nowhere near what Microsoft will need to power the large data centers.

plasma accelerator

Helion Energy does not rely on Livermore technology. The startup uses plasma accelerators that heat deuterium and tritium fuel to over 100 million degrees in a dumbbell-shaped accelerator. At each end is the fuel, which is passed through the plasma to the center, where it fuses and creates electricity. In itself, this all sounds great, especially since the sixth generation of the Helion accelerator has had an impressive run and has proven the company’s viability.

We just have to wait for the next generation, which should be ready in 2024. The seventh generation must prove to Helion Energy that true net electricity gain is possible. In any case, Helion managed to win its first customer, Microsoft. That shouldn’t come as a surprise as big tech players like Bill Gates and Sam Altman (OpenAI) are supporters of the startup. Therefore, it is logical that when power is actually available, they are in the front row.

Humble beginning

Helion Energy estimates that the power plant that Microsoft will power will be capable of generating 50 MW of electricity. Many data centers use multiples of that, and for Microsoft, which has dozens of data centers, that’s certainly not enough. But it’s a start, they know that at Helion Energy and Microsoft too. “We are optimistic that nuclear fusion could be an important technology in the clean energy transition,” said Brad Smith, Microsoft CEO.

“Helion Energy’s announcement is consistent with our own long-term clean energy goals. The technology will help the market develop new and efficient ways to get more clean energy into the grid, faster,” concludes Smith.