# ATLAS fusion demonstrator by Marvel Fusion Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/energy/atlas-fusion-demonstrator Frontier: [Energy](https://technooptimist.io/energy.md) · Field: Inertial fusion · Company: [Marvel Fusion](https://technooptimist.io/companies/marvel-fusion.md) Stage: Research (1 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling) Updated: last update 2026-08-12, facts checked 2026-10-11 Goal: Show that ultrashort laser pulses on nanostructured fuel targets can drive fusion efficiently and repeatedly, the basis for a prototype reactor in 2032 and commercial plants from 2036. Status: ATLAS building due for substantial completion Dec 2026; fusion test runs 2027-2031. Next milestone: ATLAS facility substantially complete, target Dec 2026 ## Milestones | Status | Milestone | Date | Slip | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Done | $150M partnership with Colorado State University announced | Aug 2023 | | | Done | Construction starts at CSU's Foothills Campus | Oct 2024 | | | Done | Series B extended to €113M | Mar 2025 | | | Done | Letter of intent with Colorado and Siemens Energy | 12 Aug 2026 | | | Current | ATLAS facility substantially complete | Dec 2026 | | | Planned | Component tests and high-repetition fusion runs | 2027 | | | Planned | Integrated prototype reactor complete | 2032 | | | Planned | Commercial roll-out | 2036 | | ## Upcoming events - **Dec 2026**: ATLAS facility substantially complete - **2027**: Component tests and high-repetition fusion runs - **2027**: First fusion demonstration runs at ATLAS - **2032**: Integrated prototype reactor complete - **2036**: Commercial roll-out ## Most important updates - **12 Aug 2026**: Marvel Fusion, Colorado and Siemens Energy sign a letter of intent on laser fusion; ATLAS due December 2026. Marvel Fusion signed a letter of intent with the State of Colorado and Siemens Energy covering joint research, supply chains and training. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/marvel-fusion-colorado-and-siemens-energy-sign-a-letter-of-intent-on-9e0ebd36.md) · [original source](https://www.neimagazine.com/news/transatlantic-alliance-advances-laser-fusion/)) - **28 Oct 2024**: Colorado State begins building the laser facility that will host Marvel Fusion's demonstrator. Construction began at Colorado State University's Foothills Campus on a laser facility funded by a public-private partnership: $150 million from Marvel Fusion, committed in August 2023, and $12.5 million from DOE's Office of Fusion Energy… ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/colorado-state-begins-building-the-laser-facility-that-will-host-marvel-91cf2b7e.md) · [original source](https://ans.org/news/article-6519/colorado-state-begins-constructing-laser-lab-as-publicprivate-research-hub)) ## Current obstacles - **Unproven gain physics**: Critics argue uncompressed nanowire targets cannot reach the density fusion gain needs; ATLAS runs from 2027 must test it. - **Lasers that fire all day**: Research petawatt lasers fire rarely; a plant needs efficient lasers firing several times per second for years. ## Physics limits - **Laser efficiency**: Only a fraction of the electricity fed to a laser comes out as light, so the fusion yield per shot must exceed laser input by a large margin before a plant makes net power. - **A fresh target every shot**: Each pulse destroys its target, so a plant consumes millions of precisely made targets a day and their cost goes straight into the price of power. ## How it works ### Ultrashort pulse: All the energy in 100 femtoseconds Squeezing a laser pulse into about 100 quadrillionths of a second makes peak power reach petawatts, millions of times a power plant's output, for an instant. ### Nanostructured target: Fuel built to soak up light Nanoscale wires or tubes in the target absorb the pulse far better than a flat foil and fling fuel nuclei into each other. ### Repetition: Several shots a second A plant would inject fresh targets and fire several times a second; changing the shot rate changes the power output. ### Power plant: Turbines from Siemens Energy Released heat drives a conventional steam cycle; Siemens Energy designs turbines, grid connection and battery storage. ## Spec sheet | Spec | ATLAS fusion demonstrator | Provenance | | --- | --- | --- | | Combined laser peak power | 7 petawatts | reported | | Pulse length | About 100 femtoseconds | reported | | Lasers | 3 (CSU's upgraded laser + 2 from Marvel) | reported | | Facility cost | $150-160 million | reported | | Building | 77,626 sq ft, two storeys | reported | Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure. ## About Marvel Fusion Munich laser-fusion company founded in 2019. It hits nanostructured fuel targets with ultrashort, ultra-intense laser pulses, and is building the ATLAS laser facility with Colorado State University. - About €385 million raised, €170M of it private; investors include EQT, Siemens Energy and the EIC Fund (its first fusion stake). - ATLAS, a 7-petawatt laser facility at Colorado State University, is due for completion in December 2026. - Targets a prototype reactor in 2032 and commercial plants from 2036; Siemens Energy designs the power-plant side. - Founded: 2019 - Headquarters: DE, US - Status: private - Raised: $54M - Last round: Series B extension (total €113M) $54M, Mar 2025, led by EQT Ventures, Siemens Energy, EIC Fund - Website: https://marvelfusion.com - People: Moritz von der Linden (Founder and CEO); Jan Heye Buss (Chief Technology Officer) - Partners, customers, investors: Colorado State University (partner); Siemens Energy (partner); State of Colorado (partner); EIC Fund (investor) Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/marvel-fusion.md ## Related programs Everything in Energy: https://technooptimist.io/energy.md --- The Techno Optimist tracks every frontier of technology, program by program: https://technooptimist.io/ (a Markdown version of any page: add .md to its URL; site map for agents: https://technooptimist.io/llms.txt). 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