Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Brandon Sorbom and Helion’s David Kirtley on bringing fusion to the grid at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

For decades, commercial fusion power has seemed perpetually out of reach. Now two companies are building toward something much more concrete: putting fusion-generated electricity on the grid. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is building SPARC, a demonstration fusion machine intended to pave the way for its first commercial power plant, ARC.

Helion is developing Orion, a 50-megawatt fusion power plant intended to supply electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, CFS co-founder and chief science officer Brandon Sorbom and Helion founder and CEO David Kirtley will take the Smart Systems Stage for “Bringing Fusion to the Grid.” They’ll discuss the breakthroughs moving fusion forward, the challenges that remain, and what it will take to deliver fusion power to the grid at scale. Want to hear what stands between today’s fusion breakthroughs and commercial power?

Grab your pass and bring your co-founder, partner, or peer for 50% off their pass. Discover the insights shaping the future of fusion, together. Sorbom co-founded CFS in 2018 with the goal of commercializing fusion energy in time to help combat climate change.

As chief science officer, he leads the company’s scientific direction and R&D and helps advance the design of ARC. The idea has roots in his work at MIT, where Sorbom was lead author of the paper proposing the original ARC design while earning his Ph.D. in nuclear science and engineering. Today, CFS is working toward ARC through SPARC, the company’s demonstration fusion machine.

In April, CFS became the first fusion company to apply to PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. wholesale electricity market — a necessary step toward eventually connecting ARC to the grid. In July, the company raised another $1 billion, bringing its total funding to $4 billion. For founders and technology leaders, Sorbom brings a perspective that spans the journey from academic research to designing a commercial fusion power plant, and the scientific and engineering challenges that have to be solved along the way.

How do you turn decades of fusion research into commercial power? Secure your Disrupt pass and grab a second at 50% off to hear from one of the scientists working to make that transition. Kirtley founded Helion to develop fusion technology that could ultimately deliver electricity at commercial scale.