During the Cold War, the U.S. and the Soviet Union competed across nearly every arena, including space. The rivalry shifted dramatically on Oct. 4, 1957, when the U.S.S.R. launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, officially ushering in the Space Age. Nearly 70 years later, the U.S. is facing a new technological race over fusion energy, and one CEO is warning Washington could be headed for another “Sputnik moment” as China accelerates. “Fusion is at an inflection point,” Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) CEO Bob Mumgaard told Fox Business. “We’ve got foreign governments that are investing big, and we can start to see what the future fusion industry looks like, and it’s going to be an important industry in the world, especially in the intersection with AI.” “The U.S. government, long a proponent of fusion, is not currently structured to be able to take advantage of the moment and really lead to energy dominance,” he added. Mumgaard sees China as the U.S.’s main competitor as Beijing ramps up investment and coordination around fusion energy. Mumgaard acknowledges that the possible impacts of China winning the fusion energy race are difficult to measure, as the technology is unlike anything that has ever existed. “We’ve never had an energy source quite like fusion before,” Mumgaard said. He emphasized that fusion, unlike other energy sources, did not require large amounts of land or underground infrastructure, making it revolutionary. “It’s hard to know exactly how this will play out, but it is a big technological shift. And China, like every other country that would have fusion, would want to use it to power their economy,” the CEO added.

Full report : Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) CEO Bob Mumgaard says US fusion strategy may falter as China gains momentum.

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