THE PROBLEM: The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is the nation’s leading research center for developing fusion energy as a clean power source and for applying plasma science in microelectronics and astrophysics. PPPL’s technology transfer office supports the fusion industry by forming startups, licensing technologies, and engaging with private companies in collaborative projects and research. While more than 50 startups have been founded around the world with the goal of developing fusion pilot plants, individually they are not well positioned to scale a supply chain to support the fusion industry as it becomes a major part of the world’s energy ecosystem.

THE SOLUTION: Representatives from PPPL, the Stellar Energy Foundation, the Fusion Industry Association, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority organized the first Fusion Supply Chain Workshop in June 2025. Over 120 representatives from nonprofit organizations, private firms, academic institutions, and government agencies from around the world attended the two-day event. Presentations, panel discussions, networking sessions, and topical working groups focused on market challenges and opportunities, supplier and industry perspectives, and stakeholder engagement. The workshop not only demonstrated PPPL’s commitment to growing the fusion energy ecosystem but also represented a proactive and creative way for PPPL to engage with the industry. The workshop’s final report offered recommendations for vendor engagement, funding, skills training and risk mitigation, and issued a call to action to the industry that includes convening a second workshop in 2026.

THE IMPACT: The workshop led to several new partnerships for PPPL and its T2 office that have expanded their engagement with the fusion energy community. Rutgers University renewed its relationship with PPPL, leading to several joint research projects and collaborative discussions with PPPL’s Computer Science Department. Several companies that sent attendees to the workshop have entered into joint research programming with PPPL. Workshop participants determined that commercialization hubs would play a vital role in bringing together universities, national laboratories, and industry partners to engage in regional problem solving; as a result, a working group has formed to discuss the creation of a Regional Fusion Hub.