08 July 2025, Oxford UK – First Light Fusion (“First Light”), the UK’s leading inertial fusion company, has successfully produced x-rays for the first time on Machine 3 (“M3”), its largest pulsed power facility.
This result demonstrates First Light’s capabilities in producing extreme states of matter using cheap, simple ‘long-pulse’ driver technology. The successful result comes as the company continues to expand its capabilities from Machine 2 (“M2”), its smaller pulsed power machine, to M3.
In March 2025, the company announced the next phase of its commercial and technical strategy that will see it enable a faster, cheaper and scalable route to commercial inertial fusion energy with frontier industry partners. In addition, the company has developed an end-to-end ‘low power driver’ approach to inertial fusion with its unique target design and amplifier technology at its heart.
X-ray production on Machine 3
Last month, First Light’s team successfully recorded the production of x-rays on M3 for the first time. This milestone marks a critical step in developing cylindrical implosion platforms for multiple commercial applications. The company developed this capability on M2, which is used as a testbed machine before demonstrating the approach on M3.
This is an important milestone for the company in validating its ‘long pulsed’ driver technology in generating extreme states of matter and x-rays as the company advances its technology for Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE).
This technical achievement for First Light continues to develop its experimental and predictive simulation capability, which is the most advanced in the private inertial fusion sector, and allows for the development of the company’s diagnostics.
New commercial markets for X-ray radiation sources
First Light has now taken another step towards developing high-intensity x-ray radiation production as a service; attracting interest from industries needing to harden electronics or simulate space environments. Access to intense radiation sources is strategically important for UK national security, and First Light’s pulsed power facilities are uniquely positioned to be at the forefront in this area.
About Machine 3
The milestone was recorded on M3, Europe’s largest pulsed power facility which is based at First Light’s headquarters in Oxford. The company also has lower current pulsed power facilities which it uses for experimental diagnostics and generating critical real-world data for its simulation codes before testing on M3.
M3 is a suitable validation facility for First Light’s IFE concept and combines a reactor-relevant pulsed-power driver with cylindrical fusion target systems for exploring coupled driver-target physics.
Ryan Ramsey, Chief Operations Officer, at First Light Fusion, said:
“Our new strategy is focused on early commercialisation, and we are genuinely excited by the pace of progress we’ve achieved. This marks a significant step forward in delivering sovereign capabilities to adjacent markets, reinforcing the UK’s position in critical technologies.
“M3’s architecture aligns with the requirements of a future fusion power plant; it’s more than a scientific tool – it represents a tangible move towards practical fusion energy. First Light’s pulsed power experiments offer access to extreme states of matter, enabling the study of fundamental physics essential to advancing inertial fusion.”
First Light is redefining what it means to build a viable, resilient inertial fusion energy business for the future, with advances aiding the industry and global partners in the creation of a faster, simpler path to the world’s first viable fusion power plant.