Pacific Fusion Breaks Ground on First-of-a-Kind Fusion Facility in New Mexico

Pacific Fusion, powering a prosperous planet, led by Eric Lander, Carrie von Muench, Keith Lechien, and Will Regan, has broke ground on a $1 billion Research & Manufacturing Campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the company will build a fusion facility designed to achieve two first-ever milestones: net facility gain, an essential breakthrough on the path to commercial fusion power, and high-yield fusion, a critical capability for U.S. national security.

The campus at Mesa del Sol will house Pacific Fusion’s Demonstration System, designed to achieve net facility gain by 2030, producing more energy from fusion than the total energy initially stored in the machine. Net facility gain has never before been demonstrated and represents a key milestone on the path to commercial fusion power.

The Demonstration System will also produce bursts of high-energy fusion output exceeding 100 megajoules, making it the only “high-yield” fusion facility under construction in the United States. High-yield fusion refers to the capability to create certain conditions relevant to national security research, providing a long-sought platform for the science required to maintain the U.S. nuclear stockpile without explosive nuclear testing. 

The U.S. identified the need for high-yield fusion research more than 30 years ago. Today, the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Pacific Fusion have formalized a public-private partnership covering high-yield fusion, high-energy-density science, pulsed power, advanced materials, and modeling and simulation.

Founded in 2023, Pacific Fusion is developing a practical, scalable fusion system based on pulser-driven inertial fusion. Its modular components are designed for mass manufacturing using readily available materials, building on decades of U.S. government research at Lawrence Livermore, Sandia, and Los Alamos national laboratories.

“America pioneered the breakthroughs that brought fusion within reach. Pacific Fusion is focused on converting that scientific leadership into industrial capability and infrastructure that strengthens U.S. energy leadership and national security,” said Dr. Keith LeChien, co-founder and Chief Technology Officer. “Today’s groundbreaking shows that America can still build the hard things, and build them faster than any other country, including China.” 

China is investing billions in next-generation fusion for energy and national security, intensifying competition in a field shaped by decades of U.S. national-lab research. Pacific Fusion’s privately funded, U.S.-built facility aims to advance America’s position in one of the century’s most consequential technologies.

Federal, state, and local leaders joined energy and technology executives and investors at the groundbreaking, underscoring the project’s significance for both U.S. energy and national security.

“Electricity demand is already rising rapidly, and today’s energy system was not built for what comes next,” said Eric Schmidt, former CEO and chairman of Google and a member of Pacific Fusion’s board. “Powering the AI era will require bold investment in technologies that can meet that demand at scale. Pacific Fusion is showing how America can turn scientific breakthroughs into real infrastructure and economic opportunity.”

Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) President and CEO Don Tarry highlighted fusion’s potential to help meet New Mexico’s growing electricity demand while supporting grid reliability, affordability, and the transition to carbon-free power. PNM is the state’s largest electricity provider.

“At PNM, we’re proud to welcome and support Pacific Fusion for bringing this kind of energy innovation to New Mexico and strengthening the state’s leadership in energy, economic development, and advanced manufacturing,” said Tarry. “Under the Energy Transition Act, we are looking ahead to new sources of carbon-free energy to meet the growing energy demands of the future. Fusion has the potential to help us achieve the state’s ambitious objectives with reliable, affordable, and clean energy, and we’re excited for the opportunity to help explore its potential as part of our future generation mix. It represents another way we are Powering New Mexico, Together and delivering on our commitment to customers.”

New Mexico leaders also highlighted the state’s opportunity to become a center of the emerging U.S. fusion industry, building on its longstanding leadership in applied physics, energy innovation, and advanced manufacturing.

“New Mexicans believe in science, innovation, and the importance of clean, affordable energy. Pacific Fusion saw that commitment when it chose to make a billion-dollar investment in our state,” said New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham. “We hope New Mexico will be the first state to put fusion energy on the grid, and Pacific Fusion’s progress can help turn that vision into reality.”

“This is what investment in American innovation should produce: cutting-edge industries, high-quality jobs in New Mexico, and broader impact through clean energy for the world,” said Senator Ben Ray Luján. “To make that possible, we need continued federal engagement and funding to get fusion commercially deployed on the grid.” 

The urgent need for federal collaboration extends beyond energy. Pacific Fusion’s high-yield fusion facility could also expand the experimental capabilities available for science-based stewardship of the nuclear stockpile.

“Public-private partnerships are essential to unleashing American innovation, strengthening our national security, and ensuring the United States wins the global fusion race,” said NNSA Administrator Brandon Williams. “NNSA looks forward to collaborating with Pacific Fusion on the science that keeps our nuclear stockpile safe and reliable. China is moving quickly in this area, and America cannot afford to fall behind.”

Pacific Fusion’s investment is also intended to lay the groundwork for a broader fusion manufacturing industry in New Mexico. The Research & Manufacturing Campus represents a $1 billion-scale investment and is expected to support around 200 permanent jobs, alongside hundreds of construction and regional jobs.

The company is also expanding manufacturing operations in Los Lunas to produce modular pulsed-power components for its fusion systems.

“Pacific Fusion’s $1 billion investment in New Mexico is a testament to the strength of our state’s workforce and national labs. This high-yield, high-gain fusion facility will advance our understanding of what it will take to bring fusion power to the grid, while supporting Albuquerque’s economy, creating 200 permanent jobs, and cementing New Mexico’s leadership in energy innovation,” said Senator Martin Heinrich, Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Fusion has the potential to transform how we power our economy, in addition to its role in strengthening our national security. I’m excited to see Pacific Fusion and New Mexico leading the way in turning that potential into reality.” 

“The State Investment Council team reimagined our venture program just over three years ago, and Pacific Fusion’s groundbreaking is a powerful demonstration of that strategy in action,” said Jon Clark, State Investment Officer for the New Mexico State Investment Council (SIC). “Pacific Fusion, backed by SIC partners, will deliver hundreds of high-wage clean energy jobs for New Mexicans, strengthening our workforce for years to come."

Pacific Fusion is entering its next phase, scaling production of its modular pulsed-power technology and expanding its manufacturing footprint in New Mexico.

Its next major technical milestone is a full-scale pulser module demonstration, the core building block of its fusion system.

“The country that figures out how to manufacture and deploy these systems at scale will create an entirely new energy industry around them,” said Carrie von Muench, Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Pacific Fusion. “We want that industry, its supply chains, and its jobs to be built here in America.”

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