Fusion Power set to Supercharge Google's Energy Strategy

Google wants to power the future – not with more fossil fuels or even solar panels, but with the same energy that powers the sun. 

The tech giant is placing its faith – and money – in fusion, a form of energy generation long seen as belonging to the realm of science fiction.

However, Google is now making a bold but calculated move by becoming the first company to directly buy fusion power.

“Commercialising fusion is immensely challenging and success is not guaranteed,” says Michael Terrell, Google’s Head of Advanced Energy. “But if it works, it could change the world.”

Google has signed a deal to offtake 200 MW of electricity from Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a firm aiming to put fusion energy on the grid with a power plant planned in Virginia. The plant is expected to be built within the next decade, and Google is backing that ambition not just with a power purchase agreement, but also with a second investment into the company.

What is fusion energy?

Fusion is the reaction that powers the sun and stars. It involves heating light atomic nuclei to temperatures of over 100 million degrees Celsius. At this heat, the atoms form plasma, and if dense enough, the nuclei fuse – releasing huge amounts of energy that can then be captured and converted into carbon-free electricity.

“Imagine a world powered by the same energy that fuels the sun and the stars,” says Michael in a blog post on Google’s website. “Fusion holds huge potential as an energy source of the future: it’s clean, abundant and inherently safe and it can be built just about anywhere.”

Unlike fission, which is used in current nuclear power stations and involves splitting atoms, fusion has the benefit of not producing long-lived radioactive waste. It’s also seen as a potential solution to producing what’s known as “firm” clean energy – power that’s always available regardless of weather conditions, unlike wind or solar.

Google is particularly focused on this kind of energy because it needs a reliable supply to run its infrastructure, especially data centres, which are becoming increasingly power-hungry due to advances in artificial intelligence and cloud services.

From the lab to the grid: CFS and the fusion breakthrough

CFS is taking a practical approach to fusion by using compact tokamak reactors. A tokamak is a doughnut-shaped device that uses powerful magnets to contain and control plasma, creating the right conditions for fusion to take place. 

What makes CFS different is its use of high-temperature superconducting magnets, which allow for smaller, more efficient reactor designs.

“We’re excited about CFS’s technology because their magnet breakthroughs enable a more compact and commercially viable tokamak design,” continues Michael. “This is the core innovation in their SPARC demonstration machine, currently being assembled in Massachusetts.”

The SPARC project is a stepping stone to ARC, CFS’s planned commercial plant. Google’s deal is tied to ARC, with the company not only agreeing to purchase power from it but also reserving the option to buy electricity from future plants.

Michael explains: “Building on our initial R&D investment in CFS in 2021 for SPARC’s development, our new investment will support efforts to put their first commercial plant, ARC, on the grid. We hope our offtake agreement for CFS’s ARC will add momentum to these efforts and as part of our agreement we have the option to purchase power from future plants.”

He adds: “Scaling any type of new technology requires taking some bold steps, and first-of-a-kind power plants are no different. That’s why Google and CFS are eager to use ARC to catalyse the commercial fusion market.”

A wider clean energy strategy

Google’s fusion move isn’t happening in isolation. Since 2010, the company has procured over 22 GW of clean energy, covering everything from wind and solar to next-generation geothermal and advanced nuclear. That long-term approach has already helped reduce emissions from its data centres by 12%, and now fusion is being added to the mix.

Michael says: “As global energy demand grows, companies like Google can play an important role supporting technologies that have a path to provide clean firm capacity within the next decade. This includes our landmark agreements for advanced nuclear and next-generation geothermal as well as our ability to identify and back promising earlier-stage technologies.”

Fusion remains a high-risk bet – but it’s one Google seems prepared to make as part of a wider push to clean up the power it depends on.

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