For decades, commercial fusion power has seemed perpetually out of reach. Now two companies are building toward something much more concrete: putting fusion-generated electricity on the grid.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is building SPARC, a demonstration fusion machine intended to pave the way for its first commercial power plant, ARC. Helion is developing Orion, a 50-megawatt fusion power plant intended to supply electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028.
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, CFS co-founder and chief science officer Brandon Sorbom and Helion founder and CEO David Kirtley will take the Smart Systems Stage for “Bringing Fusion to the Grid.” They’ll discuss the breakthroughs moving fusion forward, the challenges that remain, and what it will take to deliver fusion power to the grid at scale.
Want to hear what stands between today’s fusion breakthroughs and commercial power? Grab your pass and bring your co-founder, partner, or peer for 50% off their pass. Discover the insights shaping the future of fusion, together.
Moving fusion from science to commercial power
Sorbom co-founded CFS in 2018 with the goal of commercializing fusion energy in time to help combat climate change. As chief science officer, he leads the company’s scientific direction and R&D and helps advance the design of ARC. The idea has roots in his work at MIT, where Sorbom was lead author of the paper proposing the original ARC design while earning his Ph.D. in nuclear science and engineering.
Today, CFS is working toward ARC through SPARC, the company’s demonstration fusion machine. In April, CFS became the first fusion company to apply to PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. wholesale electricity market — a necessary step toward eventually connecting ARC to the grid. In July, the company raised another $1 billion, bringing its total funding to $4 billion.
For founders and technology leaders, Sorbom brings a perspective that spans the journey from academic research to designing a commercial fusion power plant, and the scientific and engineering challenges that have to be solved along the way.
How do you turn decades of fusion research into commercial power? Secure your Disrupt pass and grab a second at 50% off to hear from one of the scientists working to make that transition.
Putting fusion power to the test
Kirtley founded Helion to develop fusion technology that could ultimately deliver electricity at commercial scale. An NSF and NASA Advanced Concepts Fellow, he has expertise in high-Beta plasmas for energy and space propulsion applications and today leads Helion as it works toward commercial fusion power.
In February, Helion announced that its Polaris prototype had heated plasma to 150 million degrees Celsius. The company is now developing Orion, a 50-megawatt fusion power plant intended to supply electricity to Microsoft as early as 2028. In June, Helion announced a key regulatory milestone on the path to building and operating the plant. Its Series G funding round, initially announced at $465 million in June, closed at $500 million in September.
That timeline puts the questions at the heart of the Disrupt session into sharp focus. Scientific milestones matter, but commercial fusion also has to make the leap to a functioning power plant capable of reliably delivering electricity to customers.
What will it take to turn fusion milestones into electricity on the grid? Register for Disrupt and bring someone with you at 50% off to hear Kirtley’s perspective on the work still ahead.
Learn what still stands between fusion and the grid at Disrupt 2026
CFS and Helion are pursuing different approaches to fusion, but both are confronting the challenge at the center of this session: moving from scientific and engineering progress to commercial power.
At Disrupt, Sorbom and Kirtley will bring firsthand experience building companies around that transition. For founders, investors, and technology leaders, their conversation offers a chance to hear what is moving fusion closer to commercialization, which challenges remain, and what it will take to bring fusion power to the grid at scale.
Their session is one of 200+ sessions across six industry stages, roundtables and breakouts at Disrupt, October 13–15 at Moscone West in San Francisco. More than 10,000 founders, investors, operators and tech leaders are expected, along with 250+ speakers and 300+ exhibiting startups. Beyond the agenda, matchmaking, dealmaking and networking create opportunities to connect with the founders, investors and builders shaping what comes next.
Fusion has spent decades as the energy technology of the future. Hear from two leaders working to bring it closer to the grid. These are the final days to grab your pass and get a second of the same type at 50% off.
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