Of Interest archive

Change the look of your mobile phone with one of four ITER wallpaper options! Download the selection at this ITER web address: https://www.iter.org/node/20687/iter-wallpaper-mobile-phones

The Fusion Industry Association has released its 2025 Global Fusion Industry Report. The report, which surveyed 53 private sector fusion companies (up from 45 last year), found that there has been a total of USD 9.766 billion in private and public funding of fusion companies—a sum that has increased five-fold since 2021. In the past 12 months, investment totalled USD 2.64 billion, a 178% rise from the previous year’s growth. The figure marks a significant increase from 2024 and is the second-highest yearly fusion funding figure since the report began, after the 2022 record year.

Public investment in the private fusion sector is growing, increasing 84% last year and now totalling nearly USD 800 million across the globe.

More than half of the fusion energy startups in the report are based in the United States (29), while a further 13 are in Europe. The remainder are operating in countries across Asia and Oceania. The survey shows that private-sector fusion companies directly employ 4,607 people and support at least 9,300 supply chain jobs, although the Association believes this to likely be underestimated, as not all companies provided employee data. Since 2021, the number of people employed directly by private-sector fusion companies has at least quadrupled.

The report goes on to describe reported commercial timelines, company profiles, company milestones, and jobs growth.

Consult or download the Fusion Industry Association's 2025 Global Fusion Industry Report from this page.

Ever wondered why and how scientists will recreate the power of a star on Earth?

In this episode, "It's Magnetic," join host Kruti and fusion analyst Jack Moore as they unveil the magnetic magic behind ITER's fusion reactor. Discover how superconducting magnets creating fields 250,000 times stronger than the Earth's own magnetic field and can suspend plasma hotter than the sun in mid-vacuum—without touching anything. It's not one of David Copperfield's illusions; it's cutting-edge science.

From "Princeton D" shaped coils to the royal central solenoid (she's our tokamak's empress), our expert speakers Christine Hoa, Simon McIntosh, Alexander Vostner, Vladimir Tronza and Laban Coblentz break down the invisible force field that will help humanity harness the power of the stars.

Whether you're curious about how these technological marvels work at temperatures colder than the dark side of the moon or what the future holds for low and high-temperature superconductors, "It's Magnetic" delivers fusion science that's both accessible and awe-inspiring. 

Episode 4 of Behind the Science of Fusion is available now. Find it on the ITER website's podcast page or open it directly here. You can also find the ITER podcast at Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, and Podbean.

The 360° virtual tour of the ITER construction site has been updated with drone footage from May 2025. Discover the principal buildings of the ITER worksite, and the construction activities underway inside, by clicking on and rotating the 360° photos.

Accessible from the NEWS & MEDIA pages of the ITER website or by clicking on the link below, the 2D tour requires no special equipment to enjoy. If you do have 3D glasses, click on the yellow goggle symbol at the top of any screen.

Click here to see the latest 360° ITER virtual tour.