Marvel Fusion has secured an additional €50 million in a Series B extension, raising the round's total to €110 million. The company, which is developing a laser-based inertial confinement fusion concept, stated the new capital comes from existing investors like Earlybird alongside new backers from the United States and Europe. The initial €60 million Series B was announced in early 2022. These funds are designated for accelerating the development of the company's proprietary laser and nanostructured target technology. A significant portion will support the construction of a new laser facility at Colorado State University (CSU), intended to serve as a prototype-level system for validating the company's fusion approach. Source: optics.org

The company's strategy diverges from the high-compression, long-pulse laser methods employed at facilities like the National Ignition Facility. Instead, Marvel Fusion utilizes short-pulse, high-repetition-rate lasers to interact with nanostructured fuel targets. This approach aims to initiate fusion reactions through non-thermal mechanisms, bypassing the need for extreme fuel compression and the associated hydrodynamic instabilities. The long-term objective is to commercialize a power plant based on the aneutronic proton-boron (p-B11) fuel cycle, which would minimize neutron-induced material activation and simplify reactor engineering. The work represents a distinct path within the private fusion sector. Source: optics.org

Instead, Marvel Fusion utilizes short-pulse, high-repetition-rate lasers to interact with nanostructured fuel targets.

A key component of this strategy is a technology partnership with French laser specialist Thales, which is co-developing the high-repetition-rate laser system. The new facility at CSU, projected to be operational in 2026, will integrate these advanced lasers. This installation will serve as the primary platform for experimental campaigns designed to demonstrate the core physics principles of Marvel Fusion's concept and to optimize target and laser parameters. The project builds on existing collaborations with institutions including the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). Source: optics.org

The successful validation of the technology at the CSU facility is a critical step toward the company's ultimate goal: designing and constructing a commercial fusion power plant. Marvel Fusion has a separate partnership with Siemens Energy to mature the power plant design, addressing the engineering challenges of heat transfer, energy conversion, and plant integration. The intermediate results from the 2026 prototype will directly inform the physics basis and operational requirements for this commercial design. The funding extension provides the necessary runway to pursue this multi-year experimental and engineering roadmap, positioning the company for its next phase of development. Source: optics.org