Fusion power startup Inertia Enterprises has inked deals with Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to bring laser-based fusion reactors to market. The NIF at LLNL holds the record for proving that controlled fusion reactions can produce more energy than they consume, a feat Inertia is eager to replicate commercially.

Inertia's approach uses inertial confinement, where 192 laser beams converge on a fuel pellet in a vacuum chamber. When the lasers hit a gold cylinder called a hohlraum, it emits X-rays that vaporize and blast the pellet, compressing deuterium-tritium to fusion conditions.

Several startups are vying for a slice of this pie, hoping new laser technology will make commercial-scale power plants feasible. Inertia has secured $450 million in funding and is licensing almost 200 patents from LLNL, giving it an edge over rivals like Xcimer, Focused Energy, and First Light.

With the NIF's success providing a blueprint for scientific breakeven, Inertia’s co-founder Annie Kritcher, who helped design the experiment at NIF, has paved the way for commercialization. Whether this partnership will finally turn fusion from science fiction to reality remains to be seen, but it certainly stirs the pot in the race for clean energy.