Virginia governor warns US must fast-track fusion or fall behind China

Robert Besser
15 Mar 2025, 10:49 GMT+10

The U.S. must accelerate its efforts to develop fusion energy or risk losing its edge to China, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin warned at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston this week
Speaking alongside Dominion Energy CEO Robert Blue and Commonwealth Fusion Systems chief Bob Mumgaard, Youngkin emphasized the urgency of investing in fusion technology, particularly as energy demand surges due to data centers and AI-driven industries
Virginia, home to the world’s largest concentration of data centers, processes around 70 percent of global internet traffic, making energy innovation critical for the state’s future

NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. must accelerate its efforts to develop fusion energy or risk losing its edge to China, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin warned at the CERAWeek energy conference in Houston this week.

Speaking alongside Dominion Energy CEO Robert Blue and Commonwealth Fusion Systems chief Bob Mumgaard, Youngkin emphasized the urgency of investing in fusion technology, particularly as energy demand surges due to data centers and AI-driven industries.

"We have got to drive hard to accelerate fusion, otherwise China will," Youngkin said during the panel discussion.

Virginia, home to the world's largest concentration of data centers, processes around 70 percent of global internet traffic, making energy innovation critical for the state's future. In December, Commonwealth Fusion Systems announced plans to build the first utility-scale fusion power plant in Virginia.

Fusion energy, the same process that powers the sun, has long been seen as the holy grail of clean energy. Scientists are racing to replicate it on Earth using lasers or magnetic fields.

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