FIRST LIGHT FUSION ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC UPDATE
• With a renewed strategy and business model, First Light will provide its unique amplifier technology to the fast-growing global inertial fusion industry
• First Light will also leverage its technology for R&D purposes in non-fusion sectors including space and defence – today it announces its maiden partnership with NASA and the Open University
• New business strategy creates a capital-light, high-margin business that will generate revenue from this year
3 March 2025: Oxford, UK – First Light Fusion (“First Light”), the leading UK inertial fusion technologies company, today provides a strategic update following a period of significant operational developments. This follows the recent announcement of Mark Thomas as First Light’s newly appointed CEO.
Advancements in First Light’s proprietary amplifier technology, combined with progress in the wider inertial fusion energy (IFE) sector, has provided an opportunity for the company to shift its business strategy, to capitalize on the huge IFE market opportunities enabling earlier revenues and lowering the long-term funding requirement.
Under this new strategy, First Light plans to enter into commercial partnerships with other inertial fusion companies and schemes where its amplifier technology can form a critical and complementary part of a commercial fusion power plant, regardless of driver approach. This replaces previous plans to build its own power plant based on a projectile fusion approach.
Simultaneously, First Light will partner with companies, universities and institutions in non-fusion sectors that can benefit from its unique technology and research facilities (the UK’s largest two-stage gas gun and Europe’s largest pulsed power machine) across sectors including space exploration and defense. Today, the company announces it is working with NASA and the Open University to explore the potential applicability of First Light’s amplifier technology in high velocity impact testing.
PARTNERING WITH INERTIAL FUSION COMPANIES
The new strategy will enable First Light to leverage its amplifier technology to benefit multiple inertial driver schemes and become a cornerstone of a more cost-effective and expedited path to commercial fusion energy for other inertial fusion companies. It will complement a wide range of existing inertial fusion approaches being developed in the US, Japan and Europe.
By designing targets for all inertial driver schemes, including lasers, First Light will be a critical enabler in the realisation of commercial fusion energy. The company will focus on the design and manufacture of consumable “targets” embedded with its proprietary amplifier technology, tailored to meet potential partners’ specific needs.
This groundbreaking technology concentrates and shapes pressure to amplify power, enabling fusion power plants to be built smaller, simpler, and less energy intensive. It can reduce driver CAPEX by two-thirds and reduce the operating frequency, both of which significantly improve plant feasibility and lower the attainable levelised cost of energy (LCOE). This technology could revolutionise fusion power’s economic and commercial feasibility. With its amplifiers, First Light is set to play a critical role in unlocking the projected $1.6 trillion[1] potential of the fusion energy market. With fuel amplifiers representing approximately 20% of the inertial fusion value chain, this presents a significant market opportunity for First Light.
This shift will significantly reduce First Light’s funding requirements while accelerating the path to revenue generation. First Light is therefore discontinuing the proposed development of its ‘Ignition’ demonstrator, “Machine 4”, to focus on advancing and commercialising its patented amplifier technology.
PARTNERING WITH NON-FUSION COMPANIES
First Light is also in live discussions regarding partnerships with multiple companies and institutions outside of the fusion sector. The company’s amplifier technology and research facilities can benefit multiple non-fusion purposes in the space exploration, defense and energy sectors, where there is a requirement to test materials under extreme pressures.
First Light’s unique amplifier technology will revolutionise materials science research. The technology will enable other companies to access pressure ranges that could otherwise only be reached on very large, expensive machines. First Light’s amplifiers can more than double levels of pressure and increase speed by 75% on existing gas guns, unlocking exciting new R&D opportunities.
Simultaneously, the company continues to strengthen its partnership with Sandia National Laboratories – home to the largest-pulsed power machine in the world. First Light set a new attainable pressure record on the machine in February 2024 on its first shot, marking a milestone moment in derisking its technology on external platforms. First Light will fire further shots on the Z Machine over the course of 2025 as part of the Fundamental Science Program, and will provide an update on results in due course.
By diversifying into non-fusion sectors, First Light is transitioning to an immediate revenue-generating model far ahead of its original timeline. This shift ensures a sustainable business model and positions the company as a critical player in the broader innovation ecosystem.
NASA & THE OPEN UNIVERSITY
First Light can today announce it is working with NASA and the Open University in the USA to explore the potential applicability of First Light’s amplifier technology in high velocity impact testing.
One of the greatest risks to further space exploration is the risk of debris traveling at enormous speeds damaging satellites and vehicles. Alongside NASA, the Open University will explore potential applicability of First Light’s amplifier technology to test how critical materials sent to space react and perform under these high speeds and pressures, which cannot be replicated on conventional gas guns. First Light will lease its technology tests of shielding materials under greater speeds in a scalable and cost-effective way, whilst providing its expertise throughout.
Bart Markus, Chairman of First Light Fusion, said:
“We know that the science of IFE is solid. Our outstanding results at Sandia proved our technology can work across different applications. This combination of remarkable advancements in our own proprietary amplifier technology and progress in the inertial fusion energy sector has presented us with an opportunity to drive forward a business that will be critical to developing a global fusion power industry. Our new plan will accelerate our own revenue generation model by a decade and make First Light an integral enabler of our sector’s journey towards commercial fusion energy.”
Mark Thomas, Chief Executive of First Light Fusion, said:
“Our focus is clear: accelerating the path to commercial fusion by leveraging our amplifier technology to make fusion power faster, simpler, and more cost-effective. By partnering with fusion companies worldwide, we can provide a critical piece of the supply chain for a viable fusion power plant. Developed and manufactured in Britain, this breakthrough will not only transform fusion but also open new frontiers in materials science and beyond.”
