Google DeepMind alumni are building tools to accelerate fusion power for the grid

Fusionality, a Lausanne-based startup, is developing control systems and simulation environments to help fusion power startups accelerate the development of fusion power for the grid. The company, co-founded by Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli, has raised a $3.7 million pre-seed round from Founderful and Playfair. Felici, who serves as CEO, and Buchli, who is CTO, met while teaching AI to control an experimental tokamak. They plan to build off the commonality of fusion reactor designs to develop a suite of control systems and simulation environments. Fusionality is focusing on magnetic confinement, an approach that uses powerful electromagnets to keep fusion fuel dense and hot enough to feed a power plant. The company aims to serve the wide range of technology needed to operate a fusion reactor. According to Felici, 80% of each company's control system is the same, and AI will play an important role in future control systems, but it's not ready to tackle the entire challenge. Fusionality plans to develop systems for other approaches eventually.