Nobody is saying it, but the advent of artificial intelligence and machine learning may be springboarding the increased intensity of the competition for nuclear fusion – which many are now saying is far less than “30 years away.” The burning question among the few who are fully aware of the stakes in this race is “Who will get there first?” coupled with “Does first matter more than best?”

The greatest obstacle to fusion supplying the world with limitless electricity is learning how to maintain a balance between magnetic confinement and the severe heat (100 million degrees Celsius). Fusion produces cleaner energy than fission (its only byproducts are helium and other greenhouse gases – not radiation), and its fuels – deuterium and tritium – can easily be sourced from seawater and lithium. Scientists today are trying multiple ways to skin this cat.

Read more in RealClearEnergy here.

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