Fusion energy is no longer just a scientist's dream, said Lukas Gruber, a business development executive at Leonardo Electronics US Inc. in Tucson. "It's within reach."

University of Arizona President Suresh Garimella and Senior Vice President for Research and Partnerships Tomás Díaz de la Rubia agree. They are among a growing number of scientists who believe that fusion energy – the process that powers the sun, fusing hydrogen atoms under extreme heat and pressure – could become a limitless source of clean energy. Like many in the field, they are increasingly optimistic about the feasibility and timeline for its broad commercialization.

In a recent opinion piece in The Hill, Garimella and Díaz de la Rubia pointed to a 2022 breakthrough in fusion, when scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory achieved ignition, producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to trigger it. Since then, the breakthrough has been replicated multiple times with increased energy gain. They cited projections that fusion commercialization could boost global gross domestic product by $68 trillion and generate a trillion-dollar energy industry.

With support from the Arizona Board of Regents, Garimella and Díaz de la Rubia are positioning the U of A to play a central role in advancing commercial fusion. They argue that universities can serve as impartial evaluators and provide essential testing facilities. Just as critically, they can train the specialized workforce needed to deploy fusion technologies and reshape global energy systems.

Gruber said Southern Arizona's innovation engine is rumbling, thanks in large part to Díaz de la Rubia's leadership and the university's recruitment of Horst Hahn, a world-renowned materials scientist and foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering.

"Tucson is the right place at the right time for fusion breakthroughs, commercialization and workforce development."

"Tucson is the right place at the right time for fusion breakthroughs, commercialization and workforce development," he said. "Fusion requires a supply chain. We have a university that excels in optics, materials science and systems engineering, and we have a critical mass of industry leaders in laser diodes, optics, cooling systems, materials and beam control right here in Tucson. We're uniquely positioned." 

Together with Leonardo and other industry partners, the U of A is exploring the possibility of building a diode-pumped laser research and training facility. Leonardo is well-suited for the collaboration: Its Tucson facility designs and manufactures high-power laser diode modules. The company also operates under a U.S. Special Security Agreement, allowing it to participate independently in classified contracts and national security research.

The facility would offer scientists a training ground for emerging technologies. And – similar to the university's San Xavier mine, a working mine that serves as a hands-on training site for mining engineers – it would provide the future workforce an opportunity to "get their hands dirty" in fusion-relevant areas of study.

Gruber said Leonardo and the local optics and photonics community are committed to a long-term, integrated approach to developing the nation's future workforce. The company has consistently supported high school internships, undergraduate capstone projects, on-the-job applied manufacturing training and university research. "We've partnered with schools for a long time," he said, noting the company's support for Arizona Photonics Days and the International Day of Light, organized by Optics Valley in collaboration with the University of Arizona and others.

"A billion people still live in energy poverty, and our aging energy infrastructure can't keep up with growing demand," Díaz de la Rubia said. "Fusion energy was proven possible at Livermore, and the technologies are advancing faster than anyone expected. That's enough to motivate me."

A version of this article originally appeared on the Office of Research and Partnerships website.