News Archive

11.15.24
The New York Times
The Quest to Build a Star on EarthThe Quest to Build a Star on Earth

The New York Times features Zap Energy as one of the leading companies working to commercialize fusion energy - the clean, potentially limitless source that could end mankind’s power woes.

11.12.24
GeekWire
Uncommon Thinkers: Zap’s Uri Shumlak wrestles with fusion energy in pursuit of carbon-free powerUncommon Thinkers: Zap’s Uri Shumlak wrestles with fusion energy in pursuit of carbon-free power

Zap Chief Scientist Uri Shumlak is featured as part of a series profiling five of the Seattle region’s “Uncommon Thinkers”: inventors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs transforming industries and driving positive change in the world.

10.11.24
Inc.
Startup Zap Energy’s Fusion Reactor Could Revolutionize Power ProductionStartup Zap Energy’s Fusion Reactor Could Revolutionize Power Production

Inc. covers Zap's Century and Series D announcement, noting that comes as power-hungry AI tech is also quickly advancing.

10.9.24
Press release
Zap Energy attracts $130M in fresh capital as demo power plant system begins operations and aims for first milestone Zap Energy attracts $130M in fresh capital as demo power plant system begins operations and aims for first milestone

Century, a test platform for liquid metals and other key fusion energy technologies, and total funding that now surpasses $330M advance Zap’s compact fusion systems.

10.9.24
TechCrunch
Zap Energy shows off its new fusion power prototype, CenturyZap Energy shows off its new fusion power prototype, Century

After keeping Century under wraps for several months, the startup gave TechCrunch a peek under the hood, sharing exclusive details about its operation and what it hopes to learn by using it.

10.9.24
GeekWire
Zap Energy confirms $130M round, shares progress on its demo power plant systemZap Energy confirms $130M round, shares progress on its demo power plant system

Fusion company Zap Energy today shared news on progress with its power plant system demo and gave details on the investors of its $130 million round.

10.6.24
Nikkei
U.S. fusion startup Zap Energy draws investment from Japan's MizuhoU.S. fusion startup Zap Energy draws investment from Japan's Mizuho

Mizuho Financial Group has invested in U.S.-based Zap Energy, becoming the first Japanese bank to take a stake in an overseas company pursing a commercial breakthrough in fusion energy.

9.26.24
TechCrunch
Zap Energy investors in recent $130M round included Soros Fund and Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson CollectiveZap Energy investors in recent $130M round included Soros Fund and Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective

Zap Energy recently closed a $130 million funding round, bringing the total to $327 million, according to PitchBook. Only four fusion startups have raised more.

9.23.24
Announcement
U.S.-UAE Joint Leaders’ Statement on Investment in Zap EnergyU.S.-UAE Joint Leaders’ Statement on Investment in Zap Energy

New UAE energy fund Plynth Energy has selected Zap for an early investment

7.31.24
GeekWire
Fusion startup Zap Energy is raising more cash to develop commercially viable powerFusion startup Zap Energy is raising more cash to develop commercially viable power

Everett, Wash.-based Zap is racing to generate power by smashing together light atoms that release energy when they fuse — essentially the same reactions that energize the sun and stars.

7.25.24
Physics World
PODCAST: Zap Energy targets fusion power without magnetsPODCAST: Zap Energy targets fusion power without magnets

Head of FuZE-Q Physics Derek Sutherland visits the Physics World Weekly podcast to talk about fusion and Zap's approach.

7.11.24
LLNL
Advancements in Z-pinch fusion: New insights from plasma pressure profilesAdvancements in Z-pinch fusion: New insights from plasma pressure profiles

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have collaborated with Zap Energy in Everett, Washington, to measured plasma conditions on Z-pinch fusion experiments on the private-sector fusion company’s Fusion Z-pinch Experiment (FuZE) device.

4.26.24
Recharge
‘Cheap and simple’ fusion concept surpasses heat of the Sun in milestone moment‘Cheap and simple’ fusion concept surpasses heat of the Sun in milestone moment

Zap Energy's fusion concept has now joined the “rarefied ranks” of technologies that have generated thermal fusion plasma with electron temperatures hotter than 10 million degrees Celsius.

4.23.24
Press release
Zap Energy achieves 37-million-degree temperatures in a compact deviceZap Energy achieves 37-million-degree temperatures in a compact device

New publication reports record electron temperatures for a small-scale, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device.

4.23.24
ARPA-E
Zap Energy Achieves Significant Fusion Energy Milestone: Electron Temperature Exceeding 10 Million DegreesZap Energy Achieves Significant Fusion Energy Milestone: Electron Temperature Exceeding 10 Million Degrees

A blog post by ARPA-E describes Zap's achievement in exceeding 1 keV plasma electron temperatures in a sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch device.

3.29.24
Announcement
Washington State declares that fusion is clean energyWashington State declares that fusion is clean energy

Washington’s HB 1924 formally integrates fusion into state clean energy laws.

3.28.24
GeekWire
A boost for fusion power: With new law, Washington state leaders signal support for sector’s next stepsA boost for fusion power: With new law, Washington state leaders signal support for sector’s next steps

While the reality of affordable fusion energy is still an atom-smashing twinkle in physicists’ eyes, the state of Washington is moving ahead with plans to support the nascent commercial fusion sector.

2.19.24
Power Electronics News
Zap Energy’s Vision for Fusion PowerZap Energy’s Vision for Fusion Power

Zap Energy aims to advance fusion technology toward a viable commercial product on a timescale that matters.

12.4.23
NPR
Companies say they're closing in on nuclear fusion as an energy source. Will it work?Companies say they're closing in on nuclear fusion as an energy source. Will it work?

For decades, government scientists have toiled away trying to make nuclear fusion work. NPR visits Zap and Helion to consider whether commercial companies could sprint to the finish.

11.1.23
Axios
Seattle is emerging as Fusiontown, U.S.A.Seattle is emerging as Fusiontown, U.S.A.

The Seattle region is solidifying its place as a global leader in the race for fusion energy, with five major companies looking to crack the code on the clean, sustainable power source.

10.25.23
GeekWire
Fusion fever: A reality check on the multibillion-dollar race to reinvent energy and save the planetFusion fever: A reality check on the multibillion-dollar race to reinvent energy and save the planet

The nuclear fusion sector is hot. Maybe not 100 million degrees Celsius — which is the sort of mind-blowing temperature needed to make this futuristic power source possible — but the industry is sizzling.

9.19.23
Interesting Engineering
Is fusion energy getting any closer to reality?Is fusion energy getting any closer to reality?

Research in fusion energy has made significant progress over the past decade. So, are we getting close to practical fusion energy? Zap and two other private fusion companies weigh in.

9.4.23
Voice of America
Seattle startup in race for nuclear fusion (video)Seattle startup in race for nuclear fusion (video)

Fusion has excited scientists for decades with its potential to produce abundant carbon-free energy. In the Pacific Northwest, Zap Energy is hoping to win the race to develop the technology that finally makes that power available to consumers.

8.28.23
LLNL
LLNL develops portable Thomson scattering diagnostic to support ARPA-E’s fusion energy venturesLLNL develops portable Thomson scattering diagnostic to support ARPA-E’s fusion energy ventures

Scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) collaborated with UCSD to design, assemble, and field a portable optical Thomson scattering diagnostic system for gold-standard fusion measurements at Zap Energy.

8.24.23
TechCrunch
7 founders and CEOs discuss fusion power’s most pressing challenges7 founders and CEOs discuss fusion power’s most pressing challenges

Investors in fusion discuss why they believe the industry is gaining momentum toward commercial energy generation.

6.29.23
IEEE Spectrum
Welcome to Fusion City, USAWelcome to Fusion City, USA

Zap is one of two so-called "alternative fusion" companies based in Washington that IEEE Spectrum says "epitomize a new confidence that fusion power is now a solvable engineering challenge rather than an eternally elusive scientific puzzle."

6.21.23
TechCrunch
With $10T on the line, 6 fusion investors explain why they’re all inWith $10T on the line, 6 fusion investors explain why they’re all in

Investors in fusion discuss why they believe the industry is gaining momentum toward commercial energy generation.

6.14.23
Press Release
Zap Energy secures power supply manufacturing capabilities with acquisition of liquidated ICAR assetsZap Energy secures power supply manufacturing capabilities with acquisition of liquidated ICAR assets

The purchase of the liquidated assets of global capacitor manufacturer ICAR strengthens Zap’s engineering platform for advanced power supplies, a vital component in its repetitively-pulsed fusion energy technologies.

6.14.23
Puget Sound Business Journal
Zap Energy acquires assets from former capacitor manufacturerZap Energy acquires assets from former capacitor manufacturer

The Puget Sound Business Journal reports on Zap Energy's purchase of assets from former Italian capacitor manufacturer ICAR.

6.5.23
Press release
Zap Energy charts roadmap for measuring fusion gainZap Energy charts roadmap for measuring fusion gain

A new paper lays out scientific methods for measuring and calculating Q in a sheared-flow-stabilized Z pinch.

5.31.23
Press Release
DOE award to Zap Energy for fusion pilot plant designDOE award to Zap Energy for fusion pilot plant design

The DOE’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program aims to ‘help bring fusion toward technical and commercial viability.’

5.31.23
GeekWire
Zap Energy lands $5M federal grant and ‘vote of confidence’ in pursuit of fusion powerZap Energy lands $5M federal grant and ‘vote of confidence’ in pursuit of fusion power

Zap Energy's inclusion in the Department of Energy’s Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program is a 'Vote of confidence,' at the national level, Zap Co-Founder and Chief Scientist Uri Shumlak told GeekWire.

5.31.23
Department of Energy
DOE Announces $46 Million for Commercial Fusion Energy DevelopmentDOE Announces $46 Million for Commercial Fusion Energy Development

Zap Energy and seven other fusion ventures were selected for the Department of Energy's Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program.

5.30.23
Seattle Times
Lewis County’s Centralia bets on clean energy as coal economy fadesLewis County’s Centralia bets on clean energy as coal economy fades

Zap Energy's study of a fusion pilot plant in Centralia is included in the clean energy options considered at the site of a coal power station due to close in 2025.

4.21.23
Bloomberg
Seven Nuclear Fusion Startups Making Clean Energy HistorySeven Nuclear Fusion Startups Making Clean Energy History

Bloomberg’s 2073 view of a fusion future, looking back at today's companies, including Zap Energy.

4.21.23
GeekWire
Preserving the planet: Top sustainability tech at the GeekWire AwardsPreserving the planet: Top sustainability tech at the GeekWire Awards

Zap Energy has been nominated for GeekWire's 2023 sustainable innovation of the year.

4.14.23
Announcements
NRC votes for right-sized fusion energy regulation frameworkNRC votes for right-sized fusion energy regulation framework

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has officially announced its decision to develop fusion regulations under a byproduct material framework, similar to how they currently regulate particle accelerators and many types of medical facilities.

4.11.23
Axios Seattle
Global fusion industry emerging in Seattle's backyardGlobal fusion industry emerging in Seattle's backyard

Axios Seattle chronicles the growing fusion industry in the Pacific Northwest.

2.17.23
AIP Scilight
First optical Thomson scattering measurements made in Z-pinch fusion devicesFirst optical Thomson scattering measurements made in Z-pinch fusion devices

Zap researchers have demonstrated a key scientific approach that can be used to measure fusion plasmas in its sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch devices.

12.19.22
GeekWire
Fusion energy industry preps policymakers for ‘one of the biggest technological game-changers’ everFusion energy industry preps policymakers for ‘one of the biggest technological game-changers’ ever

Zap Energy's Ryan Umstattd joined a panel of fusion energy industry representatives who spoke to legislators and regulators about fusion at the 2022 Technology Alliance Policy Matters Summit.

11.15.22
CNET
Fusion Power Would Revolutionize Energy, if We Could Just Get It WorkingFusion Power Would Revolutionize Energy, if We Could Just Get It Working

As part of their Choosing Earth series, CNET covers the fusion startups making progress developing a clean energy source that's been out of reach for decades.

11.4.22
GeekWire
Pacific Northwest is a hub for fusion companies chasing power’s ‘holy grail’Pacific Northwest is a hub for fusion companies chasing power’s ‘holy grail’

The U.S. Pacific Northwest is emerging as one of the few fusion hubs worldwide. An article from GeekWire profiles Zap Energy and four other nearby fusion companies.

11.2.22
University of Washington
Originating from UW research, Zap Energy is on its way to making sustainable energy from fusion a practical realityOriginating from UW research, Zap Energy is on its way to making sustainable energy from fusion a practical reality

The University of Washington's Electrical and Computer Engineering department spotlights Zap Energy's recent progress in fusion energy development.

9.28.22
Announcement
Retrofitting for fusion?Retrofitting for fusion?

A new study by Zap Energy will assess the feasibility of siting a Zap fusion energy pilot plant at Washington's only remaining coal power station.

9.16.22
Newsy
Why Is There New Interest In Fusion Energy?Why Is There New Interest In Fusion Energy?

News service Newsy covers recent advances in fusion energy and profiles Zap Energy's efforts to advance Z-pinch fusion.

7.14.22
ARPA-E
Zap Energy and the Pursuit of Lower-Cost Fusion EnergyZap Energy and the Pursuit of Lower-Cost Fusion Energy

A blog post by ARPA-E describes the company's early origin as one of the most successful performers in the agency's ALPHA fusion program and trajectory to the recent $160 million Series C funding.

6.22.22
Press release
With first plasmas in next-generation fusion device and fresh capital, Zap Energy advances toward scientific breakevenWith first plasmas in next-generation fusion device and fresh capital, Zap Energy advances toward scientific breakeven

First plasmas in FuZE-Q and $160 million in Series C funding mark major milestones for Zap Energy’s development of Z-pinch fusion as a carbon-free energy source that is much smaller and simpler than other fusion approaches.

6.22.22
New York Times
A Big Step Toward Fusion Energy Is Hailed by a Seattle Start-UpA Big Step Toward Fusion Energy Is Hailed by a Seattle Start-Up

Zap Energy has taken an important step toward testing a system its researchers believe will eventually produce more electricity than it consumes.

6.22.22
GeekWire
Seattle fusion startup lands $160M and reveals technology breakthroughSeattle fusion startup lands $160M and reveals technology breakthrough

Seattle-area startup Zap Energy is edging closer to the promise of fusion power.

6.22.22
TechCrunch
Zap Energy nets $160M Series C to advance its lightning-in-a-bottle fusion techZap Energy nets $160M Series C to advance its lightning-in-a-bottle fusion tech

Fusion startup Zap Energy has reached two milestones that could nudge it ahead in the race to offer low-cost, carbon-free energy — a $160 million Series C round and a successful test of a prototype fusion reactor that could pave the way to a commercial version.

5.23.22
ARPA-E
Video: Zap Energy's Game-Changing Approach to Fusion PowerVideo: Zap Energy's Game-Changing Approach to Fusion Power

In this video, produced for the 2022 ARPA-E Summit, Zap Energy team members explain how the sheared-flow stabilized (SFS) Z-pinch may be the simplest and most compact of all known approaches to fusion power.

3.18.22
Scientific American
To help tackle climate crisis, White House touts nuclear fusionTo help tackle climate crisis, White House touts nuclear fusion

Gina McCarthy and other administration officials showcased fusion energy in a bid to accelerate vast amounts of carbon-free power.

3.17.22
White House
White House Summit: A vision for commercial fusionWhite House Summit: A vision for commercial fusion

Zap Energy joined other leaders in commercial fusion as the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) hosted a summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy.

3.16.22
Physics Today
ARPA–E program brings diagnostics to fusion companiesARPA–E program brings diagnostics to fusion companies

By providing instruments and expertise to measure fusion-inducing plasmas, the agency offers companies a chance to back up their often ambitious claims with data from a third party.

3.8.22
Newsweek
Nuclear fusion edges closer as another way to harness sun's energy revealedNuclear fusion edges closer as another way to harness sun's energy revealed

New research may solve a decades-old problem and show that so-called sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch devices could be cured of the instabilities that disrupt fusion reactions.

3.7.22
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
LLNL scientists confirm thermonuclear fusion in a sheared-flow Z-pinchLLNL scientists confirm thermonuclear fusion in a sheared-flow Z-pinch

In findings that could help advance another viable pathway to fusion energy, research has proven the existence of neutrons produced through thermonuclear reactions from a sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch device.

1.20.22
Energy Impact Partners
EIP launches new fund to scale the boldest ideas in climate techEIP launches new fund to scale the boldest ideas in climate tech

Energy Impact Partners (EIP) announced the launch of its Deep Decarbonization Frontier Fund, targeting early-stage, revolutionary technologies that accelerate the transition to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.

12.27.21
IEEE Spectrum
Magnetic-confinement fusion without the magnetsMagnetic-confinement fusion without the magnets

Zap Energy’s new Z-pinch fusion reactor promises a simpler approach to an elusive goal.

5.19.21
Press release
Zap Energy raises $27.5 million to advance reactor technologyZap Energy raises $27.5 million to advance reactor technology

The round was led by Addition, with participation from Energy Impact Partners, GA Capital and Fourth Realm, as well as existing investors Chevron Technology Ventures and LowerCarbon Capital.

4.22.21
UW CoMotion
University of Washington spinoff, Zap Energy, on track to power the planetUniversity of Washington spinoff, Zap Energy, on track to power the planet

Under the roofs of two unremarkable warehouses just north of Seattle lies a solution to clean, safe, renewable, affordable energy. Enter University of Washington fusion technology spinoff Zap Energy, Inc.

8.12.20
Chevron
Chevron invests in nuclear fusion start-upChevron invests in nuclear fusion start-up

The Chevron Corporation announced a Series A investment in Zap Energy, the first investment in fusion energy by a U.S. oil major.

4.11.19
New Atlas
Nuclear fusion breakthrough breathes life into the overlooked Z-pinch approachNuclear fusion breakthrough breathes life into the overlooked Z-pinch approach

Scientists at the University of Washington are taking a far less-frequented route to fusion known as a Z-pinch, with the early signs pointing to a cheaper and more efficient path forward.

4.4.19
APS Physics
Igniting fusion in the labIgniting fusion in the lab

The editors of APS Physics highlight Zap's production of fusion neutrons.

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