Helion receives $175 million for semiconductors and another $50 million in investment — TechCrunch

U.S. startup Helion has received $175 million for the research, development, and production of advanced semiconductors and power electronics for its fusion power plants. As TechCrunch reports, the three-year federal award was provided by the U.S. Department of Commerce under the CHIPS Act. Separately, the company announced $50 million in private investment without disclosing the investor's name.

Production in Washington state

The federal funding is intended to help Helion establish automated facilities in Washington state for manufacturing semiconductor modules, as well as their packaging and testing. These components are intended to be supplied for the fusion facility the company is currently building.

According to Helion, the new production line will be the first in the United States to produce this class of semiconductors. They are used not only in fusion energy, but also in industry, wastewater treatment, medicine, and defense.

More than $100 million will be directed toward semiconductor and advanced packaging research in Washington state. About $80 million is allocated for research in Vermont, including the development of tools, designs, and manufacturing processes in cooperation with GlobalFoundries.

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Betting on higher efficiency

According to Helion co-founder and CEO David Kirtley, existing power electronics devices lose between 5% and 10% of the electricity that passes through them. He said that halving these losses could double a fusion system's power output.

Helion is developing a reactor with a reversed-field configuration. The company aims to convert fusion reaction energy directly into electricity rather than using it to heat steam that turns a turbine. In this setup, the efficiency of power electronics is a key component.

The startup is building its first power plant, Orion, and aims to supply electricity to Microsoft through the grid by 2028. Kirtley noted that the results of research under the federal program will not be ready for use on Orion before its launch, but are expected to be used at Helion's subsequent power plants. Overall, the company has raised more than $3.2 billion.