The STARFIRE Hub

Leading a Consortium of Partners in Support of DOE's Decadal Vision

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The STARFIRE Hub is a four-year, $16 million project led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to accelerate the commercialization of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) for the nation. This multi-institutional effort is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its IFE Science and Technology Accelerated Research (IFE-STAR program). STARFIRE brings together expertise and capabilities across national labs, academia, and industry to advance foundational IFE science and technology and nurture the IFE ecosystem and future workforce. STARFIRE Hub partners are working together to develop IFE laser architectures and robust, mass manufacturable, high-gain target designs underpinned by integrated plant design and system models.

Additionally, the Hub is establishing multiple workforce initiatives and developing early-stage supply chains. These efforts are laying the groundwork for prototype plants powered by laser fusion energy in the coming decade.

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STARFIRE Hub Members: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; the Livermore Lab Foundation; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Savannah River National Laboratory; SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory; University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California San Diego; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of Oklahoma; University of Rochester; Texas A&M University; Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology; Focused Energy Inc.; General Atomics; Leonardo Electronics US Inc.; Longview Fusion Energy Systems Inc.; TRUMPF Inc.; and Xcimer Energy Inc.

Building on the singular achievement of controlled fusion ignition on Dec. 5, 2022, the U.S. government is now taking concrete steps to make inertial fusion energy a reality.