The Great Fusion Debate: How Far Away Are We Really?

The Great Fusion Debate: How Far Away Are We Really?

From What's Your Problem? by iHeartPodcasts and Pushkin Industries

April 16, 2026 · 42 min · Season 1 · Episode 174

About this episode

The episode discusses the potential and challenges of nuclear fusion as a source of energy.

Investors are pouring billions of dollars into nuclear fusion companies. The dream: transform human civilization (and power AI data centers) by providing cheap, abundant energy. But nobody’s figured out how to make it work yet. What will it take to make fusion work at scale – and how will the world be different if it does? To answer this question, Jacob recently hosted a conversation at SXSW between Greg Piefer of SHINE Technologies, Melanie Windridge of Fusion Energy Insights, and Luke Ward of investment firm Baillie Gifford.  In this episode, the guests explain:  The incredible promise of fusion What it will take to realize that promise How the AI boom and the demand for power is shaping the fusion industry Why having a ton of money flowing into the field is not necessarily a good thing Connect with us: Follow Jacob Goldstein on LinkedIn , X and Instagram  Email us at problem@pushkin.fm   Follow Pushkin on Instagram , LinkedIn and X   Listen to Jacob’s other show, Business History  To listen to the show early and ad free, sign up for Pushkin+ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Host: Jacob Goldstein

Guests: Greg Piefer, Melanie Windridge, Luke Ward

Topics covered

  • nuclear fusion
  • energy
  • investment
  • AI
  • technology
  • business

Keywords

  • nuclear fusion
  • energy production
  • AI data centers
  • investment
  • SXSW
  • SHINE Technologies
  • Fusion Energy Insights

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SHINE Technologies, Fusion Energy Insights, Baillie Gifford

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