TL;DR You can now view (and submit) information about who is supplying what to whom for the purpose of improving fusion supply chain transparency. Here’s an example showing that SIMIC is supplying magnet cases to the SPARC tokamak, a deal announced last year.

Over the past fifteen years, fusion energy companies have raised about $10 billion in equity financing. A significant share of that money is going into building fusion experiments. Much of the spending is on equipment that any experimental plasma physicist would recognize: ultra-high-vacuum systems, lasers, optics, magnets, and power supplies.

Certain categories of components stand out because fusion companies anticipate needing them in large quantities in the future. These include capacitors, solid-state power electronics, high-temperature-superconductor (HTS) tape, and laser diodes. Specialized services like tritium know-how, precision machining, and specialized construction services are also in demand.

These growing needs are starting to attract attention. Supply chain panel discussions are now common at fusion energy conferences, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) has released a supply chain report, and the Special Competitive Studies Project’s recent report highlights the fusion supply chain.

At least two private equity firms, Pine Island and Altrusion, are actively seeking to invest in companies that can supply fusion projects, and other funds are closely examining the space. Some of this interest is being accelerated by rising tariffs, which are reshaping supply chains in ways that make domestic production more attractive.

The Chicken-and-Egg Problem

A major challenge for the fusion supply chain is the classic chicken-and-egg problem. Suppliers are hesitant to invest in scaling up production unless they are certain that fusion companies will succeed and place large orders as they build pilot plants and beyond. But for fusion companies to scale, they need suppliers to be ready.

Problems like this are usually solved iteratively through market signals and communication between buyers and sellers. Supply chain transparency – public information about who is providing what to whom – can help.

A New Initiative to Map the Fusion Supply Chain

We’re launching a new feature to improve supply chain transparency. As an extension of our supply chain directory, we are now collecting and displaying information about which suppliers are providing products and services to specific fusion projects. For example, the page for the SPARC tokamak highlights the fact that SIMIC is providing the magnet cases.

Our vision is that information about who is providing what to whom can be found at a glance, and that these signals will help to stimulate investments in fusion supply chain capacity.

We encourage both suppliers and buyers of products and services to share these data with us. The information we’re looking for is:

  • The fusion project (or experiment) being supplied
  • The supplier providing the product
  • A description of the product or service and (optionally) the quantity and the value in dollars.
  • Optionally, a link to a press release or webpage publicizing the relationship.

For now, you can email this information to [email protected] and we’ll add it to the website. In the future, suppliers will be able to submit this data directly via a web form.