The deal centers around CFS’s inaugural ARC power plant, slated for construction in Chesterfield County, Virginia. The facility, expected to begin delivering power to the grid in the early 2030s, will be the first utility-scale fusion power plant in the world. Google, an early investor in CFS since 2021, is also increasing its equity stake in the Massachusetts-based fusion company, further deepening its commitment to the technology.
While fusion has been a focus of public sector R&D for decades, this agreement represents a new level of private-sector validation.
Michael Terrell, Google’s Head of Advanced Energy, stated:
“By entering into this agreement with CFS, we hope to help prove out and scale a promising pathway toward commercial fusion power. We’re excited to make this longer-term bet on a technology with transformative potential.”
CFS’ approach to fusion centers around its compact SPARC device, a tokamak design enhanced by high-temperature superconducting magnets. SPARC is currently under construction and expected to demonstrate net energy gain—referred to as Q>1—in the coming years. The lessons from SPARC will directly inform the development of ARC, which aims to generate 400 MW of net electricity, rivaling conventional natural gas plants in output but without carbon emissions or fuel limitations.
The announcement comes amid a surge in global electricity demand, driven by AI, data centers, electric vehicles, and industrial electrification. Unlike solar and wind, fusion offers continuous, dispatchable power without reliance on weather or rare materials. This makes it particularly attractive to hyperscalers like Google, which are under mounting pressure to decarbonize operations while supporting exponential computing growth.
Fusion's potential to supply round-the-clock, carbon-free electricity at massive scale positions it as a critical enabler of both industrial decarbonization and digital infrastructure resilience.
The Google-CFS deal adds momentum to the growing commercialization of fusion energy. CFS has already raised over $2 billion in private capital since its founding in 2018 and leads a pack of companies racing to bring fusion from lab to grid. The SPARC and ARC programs are backed by peer-reviewed science and have garnered attention not just for their technological promise, but for the speed at which CFS has executed.
Bob Mumgaard, CEO and Co-founder of CFS, shared:
“Our strategic deal with Google is the first of many as we move to demonstrate fusion energy from SPARC and then bring our first power plant online. This is not just a scientific breakthrough—it’s a commercial energy solution in progress.”
With this agreement, Google becomes the first corporate customer to contract for fusion power, setting a precedent that may open the floodgates for other tech firms and utilities looking to future-proof their energy strategies. As climate mandates intensify and energy demands climb, fusion may finally be transitioning from experimental to essential.
