The nuclear fusion industry enjoyed a big increase in funding this year, despite most fusion technologies not being ready to deliver commercial electricity until the 2030s, the Fusion Industry Association (FIA) said in a report.
In the FIA’s 2026 Global Fusion Industry report, published July 13, the non-profit organization said the industry received $4.4 billion in the past year. This is a big jump from $2.6 billion in funding. Which the organization reported a year earlier.
Since 2021, the industry has received $14.2 billion in funding, with $13.2 billion of it coming from the private sector. The report, which surveyed 56 fusion companies worldwide, said U.S. companies Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Inertia Enterprises and Helion Energy have led the way, raising hundreds of millions of dollars over the past year.
Proxima Fusion, a German fusion energy company, also raised $518 million this month, the report said.
While funding, a central concern for the sector,is on the rise,, the technology timelines remain to be largely unchanged, according to the report. FIA said the 2030s timeline has virtually remained unchanged since its first report in 2021.
Additionally, even the increased funding may not be enough for many of the companies’ goals to hit the commercial market. According to the report, 67% of the companies said funding is still their largest short-term concern. When asked how much money would be needed to build a commercial fusion plant, responses ranged from $100 million to nearly $11 billion. The average ended up being around $2.7 billion, which is up from last year, the FIA said.
Though the commercial timeline remains static, the market demand for fusion has been steadily increasing. FIA said several companies have entered into discussions about siting and power purchase agreements, which shows progress for the fledgling industry.
Six companies already have site agreements in place for fusion plants, while four others are in discussions for a site. As for power-related agreements, five companies have a power purchase agreement, offtake agreement or a similar agreement finalized, according to the report.
These fusion-based power purchase agreements are led by Helion Energy with Microsoft in 2023 and Commonwealth Fusion Systems with Google in June 2025, FIA said. Two additional fusion companies are already in discussions for a power purchase agreement, as stated in the report.
FIA, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit made up of private companies working towards the commercialization of fusion technology. The full report can be found on the FIA’s website.