UKAEA / EUROfusionA RECORD US$4.5bn in funding flooded into the global fusion industry this year, benefiting private and public firms alike. Funding has more than doubled since 2021, and the sector now boasts 56 fusion companies and a workforce of more than 16,000 people, according to the annual Global Fusion Industry Report from the Fusion Industry Association (FIA). All fusion companies have the goal of commercial viability by the 2030s but a new accelerator has been added to the race: energy demand from AI. Fusion geographyThe US still dominates the fusion sector, with 28 operating companies, five of which have raised more than US$1bn respectively. But there is also an emerging fusion sector in Germany, where three companies, Proxima Fusion, Gauss Fusion and Marvel Fusion, have raised more than US$1bn collectively, and are leading the race in Europe.