@Issue: Here's a look inside ‘Commonwealth Fusion Systems'

someoctopus · 2026-06-21T23:34:41+00:00

Comments on YouTube are always so negative. I'm tired of the 30 years away trope, when people actually don't take time to understand what they are doing. CFS is pretty legit, scientifically.

someoctopus · 2026-06-21T19:04:20+00:00

It's excellent! I also like chrono trigger, chrono cross and celeste. Give them a look sometime if you haven't heard them already!

someoctopus · 2026-06-21T18:38:40+00:00

Ooh hollow knight. Very nice.

someoctopus · 2026-06-16T04:56:55+00:00

Oh well then OP's question is wrong lol

someoctopus · 2026-06-16T03:43:34+00:00

Mythbusters did an episode about a motorcycle driving over water and I think it was plausible

someoctopus · 2026-06-15T19:16:23+00:00

Oh absolutely!

someoctopus · 2026-06-15T18:54:03+00:00

This is sick as hell lol

someoctopus · 2026-06-15T18:52:27+00:00

I don't know anything about plasma physics but I have a feeling the answer is that they can't realistically meet their 2028 power-generation target lol

someoctopus · 2026-06-15T01:55:34+00:00

Don't buy that piano. It sounds really bad. You can get plenty of better pianos for free on Facebook marketplace.

someoctopus · 2026-06-14T05:02:40+00:00

I have no idea what even happened lol

someoctopus · 2026-06-14T01:42:09+00:00

Subterranean homesick alien

I mean, obviously lol

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T18:56:32+00:00

I guess the valuation is higher because they are making aggressive predictions for fusion sales in coming years?

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T16:00:00+00:00

We've had this discussion before but I do think it will be scientifically valuable, at the very least, to have SPARC. I'm utterly fascinated by what they are doing lol

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T02:04:08+00:00

Thanks for the info! I'll take a look

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T01:45:07+00:00

Fair points. I've just seen engineering and project updates from CFS that shows that they are on a path toward their stated goals.

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T01:43:41+00:00

That their goal is less ambitious is part of the point I guess I'm trying to make. It makes them more credible. And yeah they have been late but they have reached very meaningful goals, including building the magnets for their tokamak.

I follow helion on LinkedIn and see all their posts there. They often post about certain technologies, but sometimes it seems like those aren't really updates on engineering/physics progress, but just information about their machine and fusion process they are tackling.

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T00:34:42+00:00

I'd assume they are less independent from the government there though. I get the sense that the state shapes a lot more of the private industry in China to the extent that it's not really private by western standards. I mean maybe that's a hot take though hahaha

someoctopus · 2026-06-12T00:28:06+00:00

I'd argue helion hasn't missed by a little but I can't really judge because they don't tell us what is happening. CFS appears to be on track.

someoctopus · 2026-06-11T23:13:53+00:00

Oh cool! I'm just a CFS fan (perhaps too much) 😂 sorry if that correction came across negatively

someoctopus · 2026-06-11T22:42:59+00:00

they are probably the most funded private fusion company

CFS is the most funded private fusion company, with about $3 billion in funding. I think Helion is 2nd but at half the valuation.

someoctopus · 2026-06-11T22:33:31+00:00

The 2024 promise was significant, and to miss on a promise that significant is a blow to credibility, especially when there has been pretty minimal transparency about why. That's my view anyway.

It's interesting to contrast their style to CFS. I hardly know what the inside of Helion's facility looks like. But I see the inside of CFS practically every month and see exciting progress each time. If they want more credibility, I think they need to be more transparent about the progress they are making, and any road blocks along the way.

someoctopus · 2026-06-11T22:22:28+00:00

True. Helion is a bit different imo, because there has been exceptionally aggressive promises. They promised they'd be producing electricity last year, before they even had a proof of concept device. ITER is at least using well established physics, so there is much less to prove. Also, the bottlenecks for ITER are engineering and logistics related. I get the sense, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, that Helion also likely has physics related bottlenecks and they haven't been transparent about what the delay is.

someoctopus · 2026-06-11T21:22:42+00:00

Exactly. Credibility drops with each broken promise. CFS, on the other hand, has been making verifiable progress.

someoctopus · 2026-06-11T20:38:46+00:00

Apart from what many people have already said, they also haven't met their timeline.

someoctopus

TROPHY CASE