Pacific Fusion has unveiled its latest pulser module prototype, a key step toward building its planned demonstration fusion power plant.The shipping-container-sized system is designed to generate extremely powerful, precisely timed electrical pulses needed for inertial confinement fusion.

According to the company, the prototype achieved results strong enough to unlock an additional tranche of its Series A funding, which now exceeds $1 billion, although the exact amount of the new tranche was not disclosed.

The startup is developing a fusion approach based on inertial confinement, where a small fuel pellet is rapidly compressed by intense energy pulses until atomic nuclei fuse and release energy.

Pacific Fusion’s design uses 156 pulser modules in its full system, each composed of multiple stages, bricks, capacitors, and switches that must fire in perfect synchronization.

The recently tested prototype module is roughly one-third the size of the planned full module and demonstrated peak output of 440 gigawatts delivered over just 80 nanoseconds.

Unlike the National Ignition Facility, which relies on large laser systems, Pacific Fusion’s method depends on coordinated electrical switching technology and capacitors to generate rapid, high-power pulses.The company believes this approach could be more scalable and cost-effective.Its next step is to build full-scale pulser modules and begin construction of a demonstration plant, scheduled to start this summer.Ultimately, Pacific Fusion aims to achieve facility breakeven, meaning the system would generate enough energy to power its own operation.

The company is moving forward with construction even before full-scale validation, reflecting the accelerating competition in the fusion energy sector.