More than 350 researchers, business leaders, manufacturers, investors, and policymakers gathered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in May for the third annual Great Lakes Fusion Energy Summit, highlighting growing momentum behind fusion energy and Wisconsin’s efforts to position itself as a leader in the emerging industry.
Attendance at this year’s event grew by more than 90% from 2025, prompting organizers to move into a larger venue, and reflecting the global synergy surrounding the fusion movement. Unlike fission, the process that fuels traditional nuclear energy plants, fusion energy is clean, safe, and creates almost no waste. The race is on, across the country and around the world, to achieve nuclear fusion energy in a way that is economical for a commercial plant. It’s a lofty goal that is decades in the making, but once achieved, it will change the way we power the world, and Wisconsin is at the forefront of the movement.
The Great Lakes Fusion Energy Summit, hosted by the 5 Lakes Institute and the UW-Madison College of Engineering, is a major annual event that showcases Wisconsin and the Midwest as a powerhouse in nuclear fusion and fission technology. UW-Madison has a premier nuclear engineering program that has led to the creation of several Wisconsin nuclear fusion startups.
At the summit, more than 100 companies registered to attend, reflecting increasing interest from manufacturers looking to participate in what has quickly evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry, as the nation seeks groundbreaking solutions to the growing demand for electricity.
“This was our biggest summit yet,” said Kathleen Gallagher, organizer of the event and president of 5 Lakes Institute. “We saw tremendous interest from companies wanting to understand the materials, components, and systems that will be needed as fusion moves toward commercialization.”
Attendees of the Great Lakes Fusion Energy Summit view an experimental nuclear fusion device on display at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. UW-Madison is home to a world-class plasma science and research program through the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, which houses several full-scale nuclear research experiments.
Several speakers at the summit noted that the challenge to nuclear fusion is not just in the science and technology, but in the manufacturing. A new supply chain track, funded through a Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. Ignite Wisconsin grant, drew strong participation from manufacturers exploring opportunities to serve the fusion industry. Gallagher said one of the summit’s biggest successes was connecting researchers and companies that may not have previously realized how their expertise could fit into the fusion ecosystem.
She recalled one conversation that took place in an elevator during the event, when a researcher described a needed component to the president of a manufacturing company.
“After listening to the description, the manufacturer said, ‘We could make that,’” Gallagher said. “Those are exactly the kinds of connections we’re trying to create.”
Wisconsin stakes its claim
Fusion energy, which seeks to replicate the same process that powers the sun, has attracted growing attention as utilities, technology companies, and policymakers search for carbon-free energy sources capable of meeting rapidly increasing electricity demand.
Much of that demand is being driven by data centers and artificial intelligence computing facilities, a recurring theme throughout the summit.
Governor Tony Evers told attendees that fusion technology aligns with Wisconsin’s clean energy goals while offering significant economic development opportunities.
“We’re getting closer every day to making fusion power not just a reality, but a commercially viable source of energy,” Evers said. “This work is innovative, sustainable, clean and carbon-free.”
The governor highlighted recent bipartisan legislation creating a sales and use tax exemption for equipment used in nuclear fusion projects and noted state investments intended to support fusion research and commercialization. He also pointed to Wisconsin’s strong academic foundation, including UW-Madison’s nationally recognized nuclear engineering program and several fusion companies that have emerged from university research.
Among those companies are Realta Fusion, SHINE Technologies, Xantho Technologies, and Type One Energy, all spun off of UW-Madison’s nuclear engineering program.
Summit attendees tour the HSX (Helically Symmetric eXperiment) lab and learn about the HSX stellerator, a world-renowned fusion research device. Tours included a walk through the teaching lab in the Materials, Science & Engineering building. Benedikt Geiger, Associate Professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics, explains the fusion process in the teaching lab. Cary Forest, Prager Professor of Experimental Physics, UW-Madison, presents at the summit. Michael Zepp, graduate researcher, demonstrates the Helicon Cell Linear Experiment (HELM), which helps students study the properties of plasma on a smaller scale.
Manufacturing opportunity
While much public attention focuses on the race to build the first commercial fusion power plant, many summit participants emphasized that the larger economic opportunity may lie in manufacturing.
Michael Morgan, Associate Dean for Research in the College of Letters and Science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who introduced the supply chain track, cited industry estimates showing fusion developers spent more than $500 million on supply chain purchases in 2022. Industry spending could exceed $7 billion annually once first-generation commercial plants begin deployment, with long-term market potential measured in the trillions of dollars.
Speakers repeatedly pointed to Wisconsin’s manufacturing base as a competitive advantage.
Realta Fusion CEO Kieran Furlong described fusion as an industry that will require everything from advanced superconducting magnets and specialized materials to construction, machining and plant operations.
“If we successfully demonstrate our technology, we’ll be rapidly building fusion plants,” Furlong said. “That means opportunities throughout the supply chain.”
University researchers noted that many of the components used in experimental fusion devices are already being fabricated by Midwest machine shops and manufacturers.
Several speakers touted Wisconsin’s concentration of skilled trades, engineers, and industrial expertise who could help the state capture a significant share of future fusion-related manufacturing.
Researchers work in the main control room and diagnostic area of the HSX. The HELM helps students study the properties of plasma on a smaller scale.
Global competition intensifies
Despite the optimism surrounding fusion’s potential, speakers acknowledged growing international competition, particularly from China.
Gallagher said Wisconsin is not necessarily leading the global race but is “solidly in the mix” thanks to strengths in research, entrepreneurship, and manufacturing. She pointed to UW-Madison, Realta Fusion, SHINE Technologies, and other regional assets as key building blocks for future growth.
Several panelists warned that China is investing heavily in fusion technologies and related manufacturing capabilities. Some suggested the United States may need substantially greater public and private investment to maintain competitiveness.
At the federal level, Department of Energy officials outlined efforts to accelerate commercialization through a new Fusion Science and Technology Roadmap and the creation of a standalone Office of Fusion focused specifically on helping move fusion technologies toward commercial deployment.
Looking ahead
The summit concluded with a strong sense that fusion remains a long-term technology, but one whose supply chain and workforce are being built today.
According to Wisconsin Electric Cooperative Association (WECA) Director of Government Relations Joe Mesec, who was in attendance, “What stood out to me most was the seriousness of the conversation. Fusion is often talked about as something that is always years down the road, but the summit showed there is real momentum behind the technology. The level of private investment, research activity, and policy attention makes clear this is something the electric sector should be watching now, not years from now, and Wisconsin is a driving force in the effort.”
Gallagher said organizers plan to expand next year’s event and launch quarterly webinars aimed at connecting researchers, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs throughout the Great Lakes region. The tentative date for the summit is May or June 2027.
For Wisconsin, supporters say the opportunity extends beyond energy production itself.
“If fusion succeeds,” Gallagher said, “it could create thousands of high-quality manufacturing jobs while helping establish the Great Lakes region as a global center for fusion energy innovation.”
—Julie Lund