DOE Unveils National Roadmap To Deliver Commercial Fusion Power By Mid-2030s

The U.S. Department of Energy has released its Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap, a national strategy to fast-track the development and commercialization of fusion energy on what it calls “the most rapid, responsible timeline in history.” The plan outlines the department’s Build–Innovate–Grow strategy, aligning federal investment with private-sector innovation to deliver commercial fusion power to the grid by the mid-2030s, according to a DOE press release.

According to the DOE, the roadmap represents the first unified national effort to coordinate research, infrastructure, and industry activity across the U.S. fusion enterprise. It aims to strengthen America’s energy security, rebuild supply chains, and reinforce the nation’s leadership in clean, reliable energy production.

“The Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap brings unprecedented coordination across America’s fusion enterprise,” said Dr. Darío Gil, DOE’s Under Secretary for Science. “For the first time, DOE, industry, and our National Labs will be aligned with a shared purpose—to accelerate the path to commercial fusion power and strengthen America’s leadership in energy innovation.”

The DOE writes that the initiative supports the Administration’s broader goal of expanding domestic energy production under President Trump’s Executive Order Unleashing American Energy, which calls for restoring U.S. energy dominance through advanced technologies.

Unveiled during the U.S. Fusion Energy Enterprise Summit in Washington, D.C., the roadmap was developed with input from more than 600 scientists, engineers, and industry stakeholders. It identifies critical research and technology gaps that must be closed to realize a Fusion Pilot Plant and ensure U.S. competitiveness in the global fusion market.

The strategy focuses on building key infrastructure to close materials and technology gaps, driving innovation through advanced research and artificial intelligence, and growing the U.S. fusion ecosystem through public-private partnerships, regional hubs, and workforce development.

“Fusion is real, near, and ready for coordinated action,” said Jean Paul Allain, Associate Director of DOE’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences. “This roadmap provides the strategic foundation for building the scientific, technical, and industrial base needed to ensure American leadership in commercial fusion on an ambitious timeline.”

The roadmap highlights six core challenge areas that must be addressed to achieve commercial readiness: structural materials, plasma-facing components, confinement systems, fuel cycle, blankets, and plant engineering and integration.

More than nine billion dollars in private investment has already advanced fusion research, funding prototype reactor designs and burning-plasma demonstrations. DOE’s coordinated Build–Innovate–Grow framework seeks to complement those efforts by delivering the public infrastructure and R&D support necessary for large-scale deployment.

The roadmap sets near-, mid-, and long-term actions through the next decade, culminating in a domestic fusion industry capable of scaling up commercial operations in the 2030s. While it defines strategic priorities and milestones, specific funding commitments will depend on Congressional appropriations and future public-private partnerships.

The full “roadmap” PDF is available here.