Pacific Fusion builds billion-dollar pulsed-power reactor to chase net-gain fusion and study warheads

In a warehouse near Los Lunas, New Mexico, Pacific Fusion is putting together a billion-dollar fusion experiment that relies on colossal electrical bursts to compress hydrogen fuel. The system will use more than 150 large Marx-generator modules arranged like the legs of a crab around a central reaction chamber, each delivering a pulse thousands of times stronger than a lightning strike. The goal is to reach net facility gain—producing more energy than the input—by the end of the decade, with each shot expected to output roughly 100 megajoules from an 80-megajoule charge.

The venture, funded with over $1 billion since its 2023 founding, draws on lessons from the National Ignition Facility and partners with Sandia National Laboratories to explore both clean-energy potential and aging nuclear-weapons stockpile stewardship. Experts note that while the approach promises higher energy efficiency than laser-based methods, significant engineering challenges remain before continuous power generation is feasible.