US engineering and energy technology company Amentum has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Kyoto Fusioneering to cooperate on nuclear fusion in the UK, Japan and the US.
Amentum said the agreement with Kyoto Fusioneering, a Japan-based developer of fusion technologies, establishes a framework to strengthen both companies’ roles in advancing fusion energy commercialisation.
Under this agreement, Amentum and Kyoto Fusioneering intend to pursue joint opportunities across major public and private fusion programmes, integrating Amentum’s fusion engineering capability and expertise with Kyoto Fusioneering’s fuel cycle, breeding blanket and plasma heating systems and its experience integrating them into fusion plant designs.
“Together, Amentum and Kyoto Fusioneering will explore opportunities to combine fusion engineering and expertise with advanced digital and AI-driven engineering and programme delivery tools,” a statement said.
“This has the potential to optimise design cycles, improve predictive performance and accelerate the transition from experimental systems towards commercially viable fusion plants.”
Kiyoshi Seko, president and chief operating officer of Kyoto Fusioneering said Japan’s national fusion strategy and its growing investment in support of private-sector demonstration projects create significant new opportunities for the collaboration.
The US The Department of Energy (DOE) recently committed funding to establish Unity-3, a world-class fusion breeding blanket test facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, with Kyoto Fusioneering relocating its US headquarters to Tennessee to help build and operate it.
The facility is part of the recent public-private partnership established between the DOE, ORNL and Kyoto Fusioneering to build critical fusion infrastructure required for commercial fusion energy.