The National Ignition Facility (NIF) has significantly increased the energy output of its fusion experiment. Recent attempts have yielded 5.2 and then 8.6 megajoules of energy, a substantial improvement over the 3.15 megajoules achieved in 2022, which was the first controlled fusion reaction to generate more energy than consumed.
NIF uses inertial confinement fusion, where lasers converge on a fuel pellet, causing it to compress and fuse, releasing energy.
While not yet efficient enough for grid power, the results demonstrate the potential of controlled nuclear fusion. Other fusion approaches, like magnetic confinement, are also under development.
Several startups are exploring inertial confinement fusion technology.