Blue Point Partners announced on the 1st that it held a forum titled 'Nuclear Fusion, a Game Changer for the Next Generation Energy Industry' on the 28th to discuss ways to build a private sector-led ecosystem for the industrialization of nuclear fusion.
This event was held jointly by the Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Institute for Science and Technology Promotion, and Seoul National University at the Textile Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and was attended by approximately 100 people from industry, academia, research institutes, and investors.
In a keynote speech, Oh Young-guk, President of the Korea Institute of Fusion Energy, pointed out that if Korea responds passively to the growing competition between the United States and China, which are fostering fusion as a strategic industry, it will be difficult to secure future competitiveness. He predicted that data center power demand will increase to 150 gigawatts by the 2030s due to the spread of AI, and explained that fusion is a viable alternative. Global technology companies such as Google and Nvidia are also directly investing in fusion development and accelerating its commercialization.
Professor Hwang Yong-seok of Seoul National University analyzed that the nuclear fusion industry was likely to face a slump due to the delay in the ITER project, but that recent startup-led miniaturization strategies have created new growth engines. He noted that the US has shifted to a private-sector-led ecosystem, with over $9 billion invested in approximately 60 nuclear fusion startups worldwide. He also emphasized that Korea must expand its related companies to establish an industrial ecosystem.
The global nuclear fusion market is experiencing rapid growth in private investment, and is being restructured with commercialization slated for the 2030s. The US-based CFS has signed a 200MW power supply contract with Google and is developing compact tokamak technology based on high-temperature superconducting magnets, having secured $1.1 billion in Series B funding.
The forum also featured domestic fusion startups. EternaFusion is developing its "Cosmos" technology to address the challenge of continuous operation, while StandardMagnet has developed a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet for fusion. EnableFusion is supporting global startups through its "fusion foundry" strategy, leveraging Korean manufacturing capabilities. QBeam Solutions is applying its neutron generation technology to battery recycling and non-destructive testing.
Investment strategies for the nuclear fusion industry were a key topic of discussion during the panel discussion. Bluepoint CEO Lee Yong-kwan emphasized the need for clear milestones and monetization of interim results. Kakao Ventures CEO Kim Ki-joon advised that teams with competitive technologies in the global market have high growth potential. Woori Venture Partners CEO Kim Chang-gyu emphasized the importance of forming value chains with leading global companies, and KAIST Professor Choi Won-ho emphasized the importance of clear motivation and accountability structures during business implementation.
CEO Lee Yong-kwan said that this forum is a forum for discussing how to effectively commercialize Korea's nuclear fusion technology, and that setting the initial direction and persuading long-term investors are key to future commercialization success.
- See more related articles
You must be logged in to post a comment.