First Light Fusion
| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Fusion power |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | Dr Nicholas Hawker Prof Yiannis Ventikos |
| Headquarters | Oxford, United Kingdom |
Key people | Mark Thomas (CEO) David Bryon (CFO) Ryan Ramsey (COO) Bart Markus (Chairman) |
| Website | firstlightfusion |
First Light Fusion Ltd is a British inertial confinement fusion research company based in Oxfordshire, England.[1] The company was founded in 2011 as the first private fusion company in the UK researching fusion energy through inertial confinement.[2]
History
[edit]First Light Fusion was founded by Dr Nicholas Hawker and his former academic adviser Professor Yiannis Ventikos in 2011, as a research spin-off at the University of Oxford.[3][4] Ventikos had suggested forming the company based on Hawker's research into hydrodynamic simulations of shock-driven cavity collapse.[4][5] Part of Hawker's PhD research had involved studying the cavity collapse caused by a pistol shrimp's claw.[6] The company initially raised seed capital from IP Group, Parkwalk Advisors and a number of angel investors.[7]
In April 2022, the company announced it had demonstrated fusion using a projectile driver approach and its amplifier technology in November 2021.[8] The result was validated by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA).[8][9]
In January 2023, it was announced that the company had entered an agreement with the UK Atomic Energy Authority to develop the largest pulsed power machine in the world, "Machine 4" at UKAEA in Culham, Oxfordshire. The machine was intended to demonstrate the capacity of projectile fusion to reach net energy gain.[10] The company announced in February 2025 it no longer intended to develop Machine 4.[11]
Belgium-based engineering company Tractebel announced the signing of a framework agreement in July 2023 to jointly develop the M4 facility with First Light.[12][13]
In March 2024, the company announced that it had set a record of 1.85 terapascals with an 80-terawatt shot on the Z Machine at Sandia National Laboratories using its pressure amplification technology[14] In April 2024, the company announced that it had extended the distance its projectiles can travel without self-destructing from 1cm to 10cm.[15]
In February 2025, the company announced the appointment of Mark Thomas, former chief executive of Reaction Engines, as its chief executive, replacing Nicholas Hawker.[16]
In March 2025, First Light Fusion published an updated strategy in March.[17] This strategic update established a new focus on generating revenue by commercialising the company's proprietary amplifier technology and aiming for customers both in and out of the inertial fusion industry.[17] It was announced that the company was working with NASA and The Open University in the US to explore the potential of using the amplifier technology in high velocity impact testing.[17][18]
In the same month, the company set a new pressure record on Sandia’s Z Machine using its pressure amplifier technology.[19] In its second experiment on the Z Machine, First Light Fusion recorded an output pressure of 3.67 terapascals, doubling the pressure the company reached in its first experiment on the machine in March 2024.[19][20]
Operations
[edit]Approach
[edit]The company's initial approach to fusion was a particular form of inertial fusion called projectile fusion.[21] Projectile fusion involves electromagnetically accelerating a metal projectile, firing it into a fusion target similar to that used by NIF that is embedded in a cube. First Light Fusion has developed amplification technology within its fusion target design that contains spherical cavities that focus and amplify the projectile's energy to create the conditions for a fusion reaction.[8] The projectile speed (tens of kilometres per second) becomes an implosion speed of hundreds of kilometres per second (producing fuel pressure of 10–100 terapascals), sufficient to produce fusion.[22]
In March 2025, as part of the company’s strategic shift, it announced it was no longer pursuing a projectile fusion approach.[20]
References
[edit]- ^ Mustoe, Howard (13 August 2023). "How a US fusion breakthrough left Britain scrambling to catch up". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Spencer, Ben (20 March 2022). "Can this scientist solve the world's energy crisis?". www.thetimes.com. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Bardsley, Daniel (17 October 2022). "How nuclear fusion reactors like this one could change the world". The National. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Projectile fusion goes for gain". Eureka. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Michaels, Daniel (9 October 2019). "Europe's Old Universities Spin Out New Tech Companies". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Hargrave, Sean (29 June 2023). "The tale of shrimp-inspired nuclear fusion". Raconteur. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Wright, Moray (12 November 2014). "Oxyntix - rebranding as First Light Fusion". Parkwalk Advisors. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b c Millard, Rachel (5 April 2022). "Oxford start-up claims major nuclear fusion breakthrough". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "First Light Fusion appoint UKAEA to validate fusion experiments". UKAEA Fusion Energy. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "First Light Fusion | News & Media | First Light Fusion to build demonstration facility at UKAEA's Culham Campus". First Light Fusion. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ "First Light Fusion switches strategy, drops plans to develop power plant". World Nuclear News. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Dalton, David (9 August 2023). "Tractebel Signs Agreement For UK Facility That Will Demonstrate 'Net Gain'". NUCNET. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Tractebel supports First Light Fusion in making inertial fusion a reality". Tractebel Engie. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Sanderson, Cosmo (7 March 2024). "The 80 trillion-watt shot: 'Holy Grail' fusion energy pioneer claims record at world's most powerful machine". Recharge | Latest renewable energy news. Retrieved 14 March 2024.
- ^ Wang, Brian (15 April 2024). "First Light Fusion Makes Progress Towards an Economical Working Fusion Reactor | NextBigFuture.com". Retrieved 12 May 2024.
- ^ "First Light Fusion | News & Media | Mark Thomas appointed CEO of First Light Fusion". First Light Fusion. Archived from the original on 3 March 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ a b c "First Light Fusion | News & Media | FIRST LIGHT FUSION ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC UPDATE". First Light Fusion. Archived from the original on 3 March 2025. Retrieved 4 March 2025.
- ^ "British firm helps Nasa protect space stations from flying debris". www.thetimes.com. 3 March 2025. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b "First Light Fusion shifts focus from power to amplify its technology and revenue". www.ans.org. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ a b "First Light Fusion switches strategy, drops plans to develop power plant". World Nuclear News. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
- ^ Fusion, First Light. "New approach to Inertial Fusion | Projectile Fusion | First Light Fusion". firstlightfusion.com. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Schirber, Michael (5 February 2024). "Inertial-Confinement Fusion without Lasers". Physics. 17: 22. Bibcode:2024PhyOJ..17...22S. doi:10.1103/Physics.17.22.