“We’re really just getting started with FuZE-3,” says Zap VP of R&D Ben Levitt. “We’re generating lots of high-quality shots with high repeatability, and we have plenty of headroom to continue making rapid progress in fusion performance.”

Further details are being presented this week at the #APSDPP2025 meeting and the team plans to publish FuZE-3 results in the scientific literature in the coming months. schedule.aps.org/dpp/2025/eve...

FuZE-3 is Zap’s first device to incorporate a third electrode to separate the forces that drive plasma acceleration and compression. FuZE-3 is similar in design to previous FuZE devices but unique in its three-electrode configuration with two locations for pulsed power inputs.

Zap’s highest electron pressure measurement to date is 830 MPa. Assuming the temperature of the electrons and ions is about equal, the total plasma pressure is double, or 1.6 GPa. That’s 10,000x atmospheric pressure and 10x the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

While some fusion machines strive for the highest pressures that can possibly be attained, others rely on longer confinement times to make up for low pressure. Zap’s SFS Z pinches aim for a middle ground that balances both compression and confinement. www.zapenergy.com/blog/hot-eno...

Reaching high pressures, a measurement that combines temperature with density, is essential in fusion because the higher the plasma pressure, the more fusion reactions occur and produce energy. This video shows the plasma compressing inside FuZE-3.

FuZE-3 is Zap’s first device to incorporate a third electrode to separate the forces that drive plasma acceleration and compression. FuZE-3 is similar in design to previous FuZE devices but unique in its three-electrode configuration with two locations for pulsed power inputs.

Zap’s highest electron pressure measurement to date is 830 MPa. Assuming the temperature of the electrons and ions is about equal, the total plasma pressure is double, or 1.6 GPa. That’s 10,000x atmospheric pressure and 10x the pressure at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

While some fusion machines strive for the highest pressures that can possibly be attained, others rely on longer confinement times to make up for low pressure. Zap’s SFS Z pinches aim for a middle ground that balances both compression and confinement. www.zapenergy.com/blog/hot-eno...

Reaching high pressures, a measurement that combines temperature with density, is essential in fusion because the higher the plasma pressure, the more fusion reactions occur and produce energy. This video shows the plasma compressing inside FuZE-3.

We’re working on that too!

Over the coming months, Zap will continue to investigate critical technical questions while gradually ramping up Century’s repetition rate and power levels toward its 100 kW design target.

Another key update is a new liquid metal first wall design that uses centrifugal forces to cover more exposed solid metal surfaces, improving its ability to absorb plasma heat.

The new benchmark was partly enabled by a new liquid metal loop that circulates 2,500 lbs of flowing bismuth to cool the plasma chamber. This video shows the new liquid metal loop moving into place.

This 20x increase in sustained average power compared to the first phase of operations in 2024 is a major advance. Century’s early operations are detailed in a recently published paper (tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....) and were certified as a DOE milestone (zapenergy.com/news/doe-cen...).

Concentrated inside a vacuum chamber about the size of a hot water heater, each plasma carried up to 500 kA of current — about 20 times stronger than a bolt of lightning.