Commerce signs letters of intent for federal R&D awards including Helion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems
From the Energy digest for Oct 28, 2026
What happened: The Department of Commerce announced on Tuesday, October 28, 2026 that it has signed four letters of intent for federal research and development awards under the CHIPS and Science Act, focused on semiconductors and power electronics — and the slate includes awards for fusion companies Helion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (ANS Nuclear Newswire). Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the investments "expand domestic research, secure critical supply chains, and create high-paying American jobs."
What's genuinely new: a second federal money channel for fusion opens beside the DOE one. Federal awards for fusion companies to date on this storyline have run through DOE — the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program (Xcimer's up-to-$30.5M, announced October 6) and the Genesis Mission rounds — while this slate routes through Commerce under the CHIPS and Science Act, with the awards aimed at semiconductor and power-electronics supply chains rather than reactors. Note the stage: these are signed letters of intent, not announced completed awards.
Watch: whether the letters of intent convert into completed awards with dollar figures per company, which semiconductor or power-electronics capability Helion and Commonwealth Fusion Systems each develop under the awards, and the identities of the other two signatories.
Sources ANS Nuclear Newswire