Sometimes founders search high and low for the right startup idea, while other times it comes to them. Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli are two of the lucky ones.
Over and over again, they heard the same thing from fusion companies: “We would ideally buy many of the components to make our our control system, but there isn’t really anybody providing them — and especially there isn’t anybody who speaks the language of fusion,” Felici told TechCrunch.
Key Takeaways
- Fusionality addresses a critical gap in the nascent fusion energy sector by providing specialized control systems and simulation environments.
- Founded by fusion control experts Federico Felici (CEO) and Jonas Buchli (CTO), the Lausanne-based startup recently secured $3.7 million in pre-seed funding.
- The company aims to standardize up to 80% of fusion reactor control systems, offering ‘Lego block’ solutions that accelerate development for diverse fusion projects, initially focusing on magnetic confinement.
In the dynamic world of deep tech, some entrepreneurial journeys begin with a grand vision, while others emerge from a persistent, undeniable industry need. For Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli, co-founders of Lausanne-based Fusionality, it was the latter. Having spent years immersed in the intricate challenges of controlling experimental fusion devices, they repeatedly encountered a glaring void: a lack of specialized, ‘fusion-native’ components for reactor control systems. This insight didn’t just spark an idea; it ignited a mission. Capitalizing on this significant opportunity, Fusionality was founded earlier this year and swiftly secured a substantial $3.7 million (CHF 3 million) pre-seed round, backed by prominent investors Founderful and Playfair. With Felici at the helm as CEO and Buchli as CTO, the startup is poised to become a vital enabler for the burgeoning fusion energy industry.
The Unmet Need in Fusion’s Control Room
The quest for clean, abundant fusion energy is accelerating, with an increasing number of startups pushing the boundaries of physics and engineering. Yet, as these pioneering companies strive to turn scientific breakthroughs into grid-scale electricity, they face a common, often overlooked, bottleneck: the control system. Felici vividly recalls the recurring refrain from fusion companies: “We would ideally buy many of the components to make our own control system, but there isn’t really anybody providing them — and especially there isn’t anybody who speaks the language of fusion.” This isn’t merely a supply chain issue; it’s a profound communication and specialization gap. While other segments of the fusion supply chain are emerging, from component developers like Kyoto Fusioneering to existing manufacturers adapting high-precision parts, the niche for sophisticated hardware and software dedicated tocontrollingthe fusion reactors themselves remains largely underserved.
Many companies, out of necessity, currently build their control systems from the ground up, an incredibly resource-intensive and redundant effort. Felici points out a critical inefficiency: “Across the industry, many companies make their own control systems from scratch… But actually, 80% of each company’s control system is really exactly the same.” It’s this widespread duplication of effort, coupled with the highly specialized nature of fusion physics, that Fusionality aims to resolve by offering tailored solutions that speak the unique language of fusion.
Decoding the Complexity of Fusion Control
At its heart, a fusion power plant aims to generate electricity by safely harnessing the immense energy released when light atomic nuclei fuse. This process typically occurs within a superheated state of matter called plasma, where temperatures can reach millions of degrees Celsius – hotter than the sun’s core. However, these plasmas are notoriously fickle and unstable. Maintaining the precise conditions necessary for sustained fusion – the proper temperature, optimal shape, and consistent fuel levels – demands split-second decision-making and an incredibly robust, responsive control system. Any deviation can lead to the plasma cooling, collapsing, or even damaging the reactor. The intricate dance of electromagnets, fuel injectors, diagnostic sensors, and cooling systems must be choreographed with extreme precision, often in real-time. This fundamental challenge of plasma control, while unique to each reactor design in its specifics, shares a common underlying physics and engineering framework across most approaches.
Fusionality’s Strategic Solution: Lego Blocks for Fusion
Recognizing this fundamental commonality, Fusionality is strategically positioned to revolutionize how fusion control systems are developed and deployed. The company plans to build a comprehensive suite of standardized control system modules and robust simulation environments. These “Lego blocks,” as Felici describes them, will provide fusion startups with a powerful foundation that can be fine-tuned and customized to work seamlessly with their specific reactor designs and operational parameters. By offering pre-built, high-performance hardware and software components, Fusionality will significantly reduce the time, cost, and specialized expertise currently required for each fusion venture to develop its control infrastructure from scratch. This approach not only streamlines development but also allows fusion companies to focus their invaluable resources on their unique engineering innovations rather than reinventing universally needed control mechanisms.
Founders’ Fusion Journey: From Tokamaks to DeepMind
The deep understanding of this complex domain stems directly from the founders’ extensive experience. Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli’s paths converged while they were both engaged in cutting-edge research: teaching artificial intelligence to control an experimental tokamak – a donut-shaped magnetic confinement device crucial for fusion research. At the time, Felici was contributing his expertise at EPFL in Switzerland, which houses one such tokamak, while Buchli was driving innovation at Google DeepMind. Their collaboration deepened when Felici subsequently joined Buchli at Google DeepMind, where he focused on developing advanced simulations and machine learning interfaces specifically tailored for fusion devices. This shared background in both the theoretical and practical aspects of fusion control, particularly at the intersection of traditional physics and advanced AI, gives Fusionality an unparalleled advantage in addressing the industry’s intricate needs.
AI’s Role: Complement, Enhance, Optimize – Not Command
Given their background, it’s natural to inquire about the role of artificial intelligence in Fusionality’s vision. Felici confirms that AI will “play an important role in future control systems.” However, he offers a pragmatic, nuanced perspective, cautioning against overzealously entrusting the entire operation to AI in its current state. “I wouldn’t be somebody who advocates for AI to take the role of controlling the entire fusion reactor,” he states, emphasizing the critical importance of human oversight and physics-based understanding. Instead, he sees AI as a powerful “complement or enhance or optimize” tool, capable of refining specific parts of the control system, improving efficiency, predicting instabilities, or optimizing parameters, thereby augmenting human operators and traditional control algorithms. This measured approach ensures reliability and safety remain paramount while leveraging AI’s capabilities where they can deliver the most impact.
Market Focus and Ambitious Vision
For its initial market penetration, Fusionality is strategically focusing on the magnetic confinement branch of fusion power. This approach, which uses powerful electromagnets to contain and compress superheated fusion fuel, is a leading contender in the race for commercial fusion. Companies such as Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Realta Fusion, Proxima Fusion, and Type One Energy are prime examples of startups pioneering magnetic confinement devices, making them ideal early adopters for Fusionality’s specialized control solutions. While the immediate focus is clear, Felici emphasizes that this is just the beginning. The long-term ambition extends far beyond a single methodology. “Eventually, the company will develop systems for other approaches,” he confirms, indicating a vision to become a universal control system provider across the diverse landscape of fusion energy technologies.
The Road Ahead: Building Foundational Technology
The recently secured pre-seed funding is crucial for Fusionality’s next phase of development. With a lean but expert team of seven, the capital will be deployed to develop a “tightly selected number of technologies,” as Felici puts it. These initial “Lego blocks” will serve as foundational elements, demonstrating the company’s capabilities and providing tangible solutions to early partners. “We start with a few of these blocks and then we build out more,” he explains, outlining a methodical, iterative growth strategy. The ultimate goal is ambitious: “We have the ambition to serve the really wide range of technology that you need to operate a fusion reactor.” This implies a future where Fusionality’s control systems are integral to the global effort to bring limitless, clean fusion energy online.
Bottom Line
Fusionality emerges at a pivotal moment for the fusion industry, addressing a fundamental need that has long been overlooked. By professionalizing and standardizing the critical domain of fusion reactor control systems, Federico Felici and Jonas Buchli are not just building a company; they are constructing a vital piece of the infrastructure required for fusion energy to scale. Their deep expertise, combined with a clear market strategy and a pragmatic approach to cutting-edge technology like AI, positions Fusionality as an indispensable partner in humanity’s quest for a sustainable energy future. As fusion ventures move from laboratory experiments to commercial prototypes, the ability to reliably and efficiently control these complex machines will be paramount, making Fusionality’s mission both timely and profoundly impactful.
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