Subvolts take Fusion energy's future is now, with a company aiming for commercial power by 2028. Nov 17, 2025 - Developers
- Learn about the immense engineering challenges and potential energy demands that future technologies like fusion might create.
- Business
- Understand the progress and timelines for a potentially revolutionary clean energy source that could reshape global markets.
This interview features the CEO of a company aiming for a major energy breakthrough, offering a direct look at fusion progress.
#485 – David Kirtley: Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Physics, and the Future of Energy
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From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Lex Fridman interviews David Kirtley, CEO of Helion Energy, about nuclear fusion and plasma physics. Kirtley discusses Helion's goal to build the first commercial fusion power plant by 2028. The episode explores the future of energy through advancements in fusion technology.
This episode talks about nuclear fusion, the same process that powers the sun. David Kirtley explains how his company is trying to build a machine that can create clean, abundant energy from fusion here on Earth, aiming for a power plant within a few years.
This episode offers insight into the cutting edge of fusion energy, a field critical for future power generation. It's for anyone interested in advanced energy solutions and the practical engineering challenges of achieving commercial fusion. While not directly about current AI models, fusion research requires immense computational power and advanced control systems, areas where AI is increasingly applied. Understanding fusion's progress provides context for future energy demands that AI development will place.
- HostLex Fridman
- GuestDavid KirtleyCEO, Helion Energy
- Guest: David Kirtley
- Title: Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Physics, and the Future of Energy
- Show: Lex Fridman Podcast
- Guest Organization: Helion Energy
- Helion's Goal: Build the world's first commercial fusion power plant by 2028
David Kirtley is a nuclear fusion engineer and CEO of Helion Energy, a company working on building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant by 2028.
Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc
See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
Transcript:
https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript
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EPISODE LINKS:
David’s X: https://x.com/dekirtley
David’s LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp
Helion: https://www.helionenergy.com/
Helion’s YouTube: https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy
SPONSORS:
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OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(03:00) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(11:35) – Nuclear fission vs fusion
(21:35) – Physics of E=mc^2
(26:50) – Is nuclear fusion safe?
(32:11) – Chernobyl
(38:38) – Geopolitics
(40:33) – Extreme scenarios
(47:28) – How nuclear fusion works
(1:20:20) – Extreme temperatures
(1:25:21) – Fusion control and simulation
(1:37:15) – Electricity from fusion
(2:11:20) – First fusion power plant in 2028
(2:18:13) – Energy needs of GPU clusters
(2:28:38) – Kardashev scale
(2:36:33) – Fermi Paradox
PODCAST LINKS: WithKhabib Nurmagomedov WithJean-Baptiste Kempf, Kieran Kunhya WithDavid Kirtley Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Lex Fridman.
– Podcast Website: https://lexfridman.com/podcast
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