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CATL makes first nuclear fusion investment, leads funding round in Beta Fusion. Battery giant backs Chinese fusion startup as it expands beyond EV batteries into next-generation clean energy technologies Discover more Electric vehicle charging Electric motorcycles Electric bike sales CATL, the world's largest electric vehicle battery manufacturer, has made its first investment in the nuclear fusion sector by leading a seed funding round for Chinese startup Beta Fusion, signaling a strategic expansion into one of the most closely watched future energy technologies. According to Chinese media reports citing people familiar with the transaction, the funding round was worth several hundred million yuan. The investment marks CATL's debut in the nuclear fusion industry as the company continues to broaden its ambitions beyond battery manufacturing and energy storage. Fusion startup targets commercial power generation. Beta Fusion was established in December 2025 and focuses on the commercialization of controlled nuclear fusion technology. The company is led by founder and Chief Executive Officer Cao Zhiping, a Chinese scientist specializing in field reversed configuration (FRC) fusion technology. The startup's technical team includes researchers and engineers from several of China's leading fusion research institutions and national scientific projects. Discover more Autos & Vehicles Electric Vehicle Beta Fusion aims to develop fusion systems capable of delivering between 50 MW and 100 MW of grid-connected electricity within the next six to eight years. The company is pursuing the FRC fusion approach, a technology pathway also being developed by US-based fusion company Helion Energy. Industry observers consider the FRC route one of the most ambitious approaches to commercial fusion, offering the potential for faster deployment but carrying higher technological risks compared with more established fusion concepts. Growing interest in fusion energy. Nuclear fusion has attracted increasing attention from governments, investors and technology companies because of its potential to provide abundant carbon-free electricity using widely available fuel sources. Unlike conventional nuclear fission, fusion generates energy by combining atomic nuclei and is viewed as a long-term solution for producing large amounts of clean baseload power with minimal emissions. China has identified fusion energy as a strategic technology area and included it within its long-term national development priorities. The technology is also drawing renewed interest from the technology sector as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and hyperscale data centers drive rapid growth in electricity demand worldwide. Strategic expansion beyond batteries. For CATL, the investment aligns with its broader vision of evolving from a battery manufacturer into a comprehensive clean energy company. Founder and Chairman Robin Zeng has previously stated that energy generation, storage and grid management could become significantly larger business opportunities than electric vehicle batteries over the long term. The company has increasingly invested in energy storage systems, zero-carbon energy infrastructure and grid-related technologies as part of that strategy. Fusion energy could eventually complement CATL's existing energy storage and battery businesses by providing large-scale clean electricity generation for industrial users, utilities and data centers. Following a broader industry trend. CATL is not the first Chinese new energy company to back nuclear fusion technology. In 2023, electric vehicle manufacturer Nio invested 995 million yuan in fusion startup Neo Fusion, acquiring a 19.9% stake in the company. The growing involvement of EV and battery companies reflects increasing recognition that future energy demand will require solutions extending beyond transportation electrification alone. Strong financial position supports new investments. CATL enters the fusion sector from a position of financial strength. The company reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of 129.13 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 52.45%. Net profit attributable to shareholders rose 48.52% to 20.74 billion yuan during the same period. CATL also maintained its dominant position in China's battery market. According to industry data, the company installed 33.08 GWh of batteries in May, accounting for a 46.14% share of the country's power battery market. While commercial fusion power remains years away from large-scale deployment, CATL's investment in Beta Fusion highlights growing confidence among major industrial players that fusion technology could become an important part of the future global energy mix. As demand for clean electricity continues to rise, particularly from AI infrastructure and energy-intensive industries, investments in advanced energy technologies are expected to play an increasingly important role in shaping long-term energy strategies.

Everett's Helion raises $465M Series G funding round to accelerate fusion power. * john stearns * 12 hrs ago. Everett-based fusion-energy company Helion today announced a $465-million Series G investment round to accelerate commercial deployment of fusion, scale manufacturing capacity, and expand the company's ability to deliver clean electricity to customers. The latest round brings the total invested to date in Helion to $1.5 billion and values the company at $15.5 billion, the company said in a news release. Thrive Capital led the round, with participation from additional new investors, including Alta Park Capital, Anti Fund, BoxGroup, Lux Capital, Peak XV Partners, and Ford Motor Co. Executive Chairman Bill Ford, plus existing investors, including Capricorn Technology Impact Funds, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mithril Capital, Dustin Moskovitz through Good Ventures Foundation, SoftBank Vision Fund 2, and a university endowment fund. The Series G announcement comes on the heels of several milestones achieved by Helion's seventh-generation Polaris prototype fusion energy machine as well as ongoing momentum behind Orion, the company's first fusion power plant. Polaris became the first privately funded fusion machine to operate with deuterium-tritium fuel and broke the company's own record for plasma temperatures, exceeding 150 million oC, the company said. Orion is currently under construction in Malaga, in Central Washington. Helion's mission is to build the world's first fusion power plant and enable a future with unlimited clean electricity. "Fusion is no longer a future idea, but a path to clean, reliable, affordable always-on electricity at scale," Helion CEO David Kirtley said in the release. "This funding accelerates our ability to deliver on that promise. This support of new and existing investors is a strong signal they believe, as we do, that Helion is best positioned to generate electricity from fusion for customers this decade, not the next, and that we have the right technology and strategy to build the commercial fusion market over the long term." Vince Hankes, partner at Thrive Capital, said Thrive aims to invest in category-defining companies. "We believe Helion has the technical ambition, pace of execution, and commercial orientation to define a new category of energy," Hankes said. "We are deeply inspired by David and the Helion team's mission to bring clean, reliable fusion power to the world, and honored to support them for the long arc ahead." Ravi Mhatre, co-founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners, added that abundant, affordable energy is essential for the future of innovation. "Commercializing fusion will be critical to meeting the world's growing energy needs and no company is better positioned to do that in the near term than Helion," Mhatre said in the release. "We are happy to renew our commitment to Helion and participate in this round." Brandon Reeves, partner at Lux Capital, added, "As power capacity becomes central to AI and industrial competitiveness, Helion is moving fusion from a scientific milestone to commercial reality and building one of the most important companies for America's energy and AI future."