Zap Energy, a prominent fusion power startup, is expanding its technological focus to include the development of nuclear fission reactors, according to TechCrunch.
The company, which has raised more than $300 million to date, intends to pursue fission technology alongside its existing fusion research. This strategic shift aims to provide grid-ready power much sooner than fusion technology is expected to become commercially viable.
Zap’s new CEO, Zabrina Johal, told TechCrunch that fission and fusion share fundamental technical overlaps. “Fission and fusion are two sides of the same coin,” Johal said. “They have so many challenges that are congruent with each other.”
Meeting immediate energy demands
The pivot responds to a projected surge in electricity requirements driven by the expansion of AI data centers. Industry forecasts suggest that energy demand from these facilities could nearly triple by 2030.
While fusion technology offers a long-term solution, most experts believe grid-scale fusion plants are at least a decade away. Johal noted that the current global energy supply is insufficient to support the necessary infrastructure for the AI boom.
“There is not enough power and energy in the world to build all the data centers that are needed,” Johal said. “It just meant we need to pull this in faster, we need to get something that’s relevant to the grid today.”
Unlike fusion, which involves fusing light atoms like hydrogen, fission is a commercially established method of splitting atoms to release energy. By integrating fission into its roadmap, Zap Energy seeks to deploy functional power solutions while continuing its work on long-term fusion breakthroughs.
