59. Brandon Sorbom, Co-Founder and CSO, Commonwealth Fusion Systems cover art

59. Brandon Sorbom, Co-Founder and CSO, Commonwealth Fusion Systems

59. Brandon Sorbom, Co-Founder and CSO, Commonwealth Fusion Systems

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Episode 59: The Cherry on Top of Decades of Fusion Development

Brandon Sorbom, Chief Science Officer and Co-founder of Commonwealth Fusion Systems, is helping spend $3+ billion to turn hydrogen into abundant, safe and readily available energy. In our fourth fusion episode, Brandon educates us on the most time-tested approach to fusion which uses powerful magnets. CFS hopes to deliver commercial energy by the early 2030s.

0:00 Introduction

02:33 The Journey from MIT to Commonwealth Fusion Systems

04:30 Securing Funding and Building Credibility

05:44 Understanding Fusion and Tokamaks

08:44 Brandon’s Personal Journey to Fusion

12:34 Explaining the Tokamak and Fusion Process

28:23 Neutrons and Energy Conversion

31:39 High Temperature Superconducting Material

39:26 Scaling Up Production and Cost Considerations

42:53 The SPARC Prototype and Its Challenges

48:23 Transitioning from Spark to ARC

01:04:59 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

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