Amplitude Signs An Agreement With Focused Energy
Amplitude will develop two kilojoule-class high-energy, high-repetition rate laser systems to be installed at laser fusion company Focused Energy’s facility in the San Francisco Bay Area
Paris – December 17, 2024
Amplitude, global leader in ultrafast lasers, and Focused Energy, the company pursuing the most scientifically advanced path to commercial fusion, today announced a strategic partnership to advance the field of inertial fusion energy. This collaboration focuses on the development of two high-energy, high-repetition rate laser systems which will be installed at Focused Energy’s Laser Development Facility in the United States. The development is supported and financed by Germany’s Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovations – SPRIND.
A Strategic Partnership to Shape Fusion Energy’s Future
Set to begin in early 2025 at Amplitude’s Lisses facility near Paris, the three-year development program builds on the global momentum for inertial fusion energy sparked by the fusion ignition breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in December 2022. This initiative places Amplitude at the forefront of worldwide efforts to develop clean energy solutions, leveraging cutting-edge laser technology to refine the parameters of Inertial Confinement Fusion and advance the promise of sustainable energy production.
Amplitude Laser Group President & CEO Damien Buet stated, “We are thrilled to push the boundaries of what is possible with our advanced laser technologies and contribute to this groundbreaking endeavor. Ten years of bold technological choices coupled with our leadership in cutting-edge research and industrial scalability will shape a brighter future powered by clean, sustainable energy.”
SPRIND Director Rafael Laguna de la Vera added, “Fusion is one of the most significant breakthrough innovations on the horizon and abundant energy the fundament for others to come. But overcoming the remaining technological challenges in fusion will require collective international efforts. Collaborations like this – with a strong foundation in European technology and close ties to US talent in the field – will accelerate the development of commercial fusion to meet the urgent demand for green energy.”
“This is a landmark moment on our path to commercial laser fusion, building off the National Ignition Facility’s groundbreaking work two years ago,” said Scott Mercer, CEO of Focused Energy. “These laser systems will serve as the technological foundation from which Focused Energy will build the modular laser arrays necessary for a fusion pilot plant capable of supplying clean energy to the grid.”
Manipulation on a Premiumulite Glass ©Amplitude
Premiumlite Glass ©Amplitude
A Step Toward Sustainable Fusion Energy
Amplitude has long been a pioneer in state-of-the-art laser technology, reshaping industrial processes, advancing medical breakthroughs, and powering Nobel-caliber science. Its unique installations are deployed worldwide, notably at the Extreme Light Infrastructure for Hungary (ELI-ALPS), the DRACO and RELAX lasers in Dresden and Hamburg in Germany, the VEGA platform in Salamanca, Spain, and the ALLS system in Montreal, Canada. These and other installations provide the broader scientific community with unparalleled access to high peak power and high energy state-of-the-art lasers.
On the path to inertial fusion, further offshoot applications are likely to emerge. The company envisions a future where these advancements find use in fields such as non-destructive testing in healthcare, medical imaging, and a variety of industrial processes. These laser innovations promise to drive significant progress—improving healthcare outcomes, increasing industrial efficiency, and creating a lasting positive impact on society.
Amplitude has a proven track record of taking on complex technologies and developing scalable solutions that disrupt the market. A prime example of this is the company’s groundbreaking work in ophthalmology, where in 2007, Amplitude pioneered the integration of ultrafast femtosecond lasers into laser eye surgery systems. This innovation scaled to thousands of installations worldwide, continues to benefit millions of patients today. Amplitude has continued to lead the way in the display industry, developing advanced laser systems that enabled major technology companies to enhance their production capabilities and redefine display manufacturing standards.
Headquartered in Pessac near Bordeaux, the capital of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Amplitude benefits from strong regional support, including the Cité de la Photonique hub and the ALPHA-RLH deep tech competitiveness cluster. This program will draw on a range of the company’s technologies and consolidate expertise from its facilities in Lisses, Pessac, and Antibes.
Today, Amplitude takes a significant step toward advancing commercially viable fusion energy by partnering with Focused Energy and SPRIND. Together, they aim to harness the power of laser technology to illuminate a brighter, more sustainable future.
From L-R: Thomas Forner – Founder & President at Focused Energy, Antonia Schmalz – Innovation Manager at SPRIND, and Damien Buet – President & CEO of Amplitude Laser Group
About Focused Energy
Focused Energy is the leading laser-driven fusion company pursuing the most promising path to clean, limitless fusion power. The global company, based in the San Francisco Bay Area and Darmstadt, Germany, has brought together the top scientific and engineering minds using proven technologies to unlock fusion power at commercial scale. Focused Energy is working to unleash the next chapter of economic growth and scientific innovation through the widespread adoption of clean, abundant fusion power.
To learn more, visit focused-energy.world
About SPRIND
The Federal Agency for Breakthrough Innovation SPRIND was founded in 2019 and is based in Leipzig. The sole shareholder is the Federal Republic of Germany, represented by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK). SPRIND closes a gap in the German innovation landscape: It finds new, groundbreaking technologies for the major challenges of our time and at the same time ensures that the added value of the resulting companies and industries remains in Germany and Europe. SPRIND is financed by funds from the federal budget. SPRIND is headed by Rafael Laguna de la Vera and Berit Dannenberg.