A*STAR, Commonwealth Fusion Systems sign collaborative research agreement to advance fusion supply chain capabilities in Singapore

Singapore is strengthening its position in the emerging fusion energy ecosystem through a strategic research agreement between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), the private fusion energy company that has raised about S$3.85 billion ($3 billion) from prominent investors, including Temasek and Google. The five-year collaboration will focus on developing technologies for commercial fusion power plants, including CFS’ ARC power plants, and will help to support Singapore in its effort to be an early entrant in the global fusion energy supply chain, the duo said in a statement on last Thursday. The agreement builds on an earlier collaboration between A*STAR, CFS, and ST Engineering — a technology, defense and engineering group — to produce components for CFS’s SPARC fusion demonstration machine, building on Singapore’s advanced manufacturing capabilities. “Fusion energy is at an inflection point, with the global industry moving closer to the commercial deployment of clean, reliable power, “This partnership with CFS brings A*STAR’s strengths in translational research into real-world fusion systems, drawing on capabilities in advanced materials, precision manufacturing and materials testing,” said Professor Lim Keng Hui, Assistant Chief Executive, Science & Engineering Research Council (SERC), A*STAR. Such collaborations position Singapore to contribute to the emerging fusion supply chain, while making it more accessible for local industry to build capabilities in high-value, next-generation manufacturing, he added. Fusion energy works by fusing light atomic nuclei together to release large amounts of energy, and has the potential to provide a reliable, carbon-free source of power at scale. With global investment in fusion surpassing S$19.1 billion ($14.96 billion), private companies like CFS are accelerating commercial deployment of fusion power. CFS aims to generate carbon-free electricity at commercial scale by the early 2030s, and this agreement allows A*STAR to be a part of that commercialization process. Temasek, a global investment company with a net portfolio value of S$434 billion ($340 billion) portfolio as of March 31, 2025, is an early investor in CFS, having been a lead investor in one of the company’s Series A rounds. They also collaborate with A*STAR across areas of research and innovation. “Singapore possesses major capabilities in advanced manufacturing and materials engineering, “They have deployed these capabilities in the shipbuilding, aerospace, and semiconductor sectors. With our partnership with A*STAR, we envision that these capabilities will accelerate our commercialization journey,” said Bob Mumgaard, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of CFS. Beyond fusion, the partnership will develop capabilities in materials science, advanced manufacturing, and plasma diagnostics that can be applied in industries operating under similarly demanding environments, including aerospace and other advanced engineering sectors, said the statement. Singapore launches refreshed Industry Digital Plan to help marine and offshore energy companies leverage digital, AI solutions for growth