Fusion energy promises to revolutionize the world’s energy and geopolitical landscape by providing unprecedented resilience, security, and economic abundance, but control over this future hinges on the nation that leads both in core technologies and the sprawling, intricate supply chains required to build fusion power plants at scale. While the US and Europe once held leadership in fusion research and are home to pioneering private ventures, China’s rapid governmental and industrial mobilization threatens to shift the balance of power. History reveals a pattern, with the West’s innovative edge often compromised by China’s ability to scale up complex manufacturing and consolidate supply chains, as seen in industries ranging from solar panels to advanced electronics. Fusion is particularly vulnerable to a repeat of this trend.
China’s booming industrial base not only accelerates its own fusion sector’s learning curve, but also grants a pivotal edge in adjacent industries essential for commercialization. Critical systems for tokamak reactors, including plasma confinement, specialized superconducting magnets, and vast power electronics, are underpinned by fields like thin-film processing and alloy manufacturing—sectors where China already excels. For instance, China’s dominance in thin-film manufacturing for electronics directly translates into manufacturing high-performance REBCO superconductors, vital for fusion magnets. Likewise, the nation’s expertise and scale in fabricating large, custom alloy structures and advanced power electronics provide it with foundational infrastructure others lack. Western underinvestment here leaves the US and Europe exposed to falling behind.
However, opportunities remain for the West. Leadership in cryogenic plant engineering, fuel production for fusion, and blanket technology to absorb and utilize fusion energy is within reach. The industrial bases supporting cryogenic cooling already exist in both Europe and the US, while innovative opportunities also remain in processing tritium and developing fusion-specific blanket materials. Nonetheless, capturing these sectors demands a proactive approach that links public and private investment, provides demand guarantees, and cultivates international partnerships with industrial powers like Japan and South Korea. Strategic policies could leverage adjacent demand in semiconductors, grid modernization, and energy systems to de-risk fusion supply chains and spur innovation. Yet as China leverages its energy demand and manufacturing scale to accelerate fusion deployment, the West must decisively prioritize scaling up complementary industries or risk a future defined by Chinese dominance in energy technology. The choice is now: invest in building out a resilient fusion industrial base, or cede leadership on one of the century’s defining technologies.
