Explainer

Why Investors Are Betting on Nuclear Fusion Even as It Remains Elusive

Workers assemble toroidal field magnets at the Commonwealth Fusion Systems campus in Massachusetts, US.Photographer: Cassandra Klos/Bloomberg

Nuclear fusion has long captured the scientific imagination. The dream is to harness the same process that powers stars to produce cheap, abundant and carbon-free electricity.

The technology remains nascent even after decades of research. But that hasn’t deterred some of the world’s richest investors from backing startups that hope to solve one of the toughest challenges in science.