--- title: "CATL enters nuclear fusion race with investment in startup Beta Fusion" type: "News" locale: "en" url: "https://longbridge.com/en/news/289446081.md" description: "CATL led a seed funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan in nuclear fusion startup Beta Fusion, marking its first investment in the sector. Founded in late 2025, Beta Fusion aims to achieve 50-100 MW grid-connected power within 6-8 years using the field reversed configuration route. This move aligns with CATL's strategic vision to become a green energy provider, leveraging its strong financial performance and market dominance in batteries." datetime: "2026-06-11T10:01:07.000Z" locales: - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/289446081.md) - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/289446081.md) - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/289446081.md) --- # CATL enters nuclear fusion race with investment in startup Beta Fusion A CATL Naxtra battery pack on display at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2026. Credit: CnEVPost > - CATL led a seed funding round worth hundreds of millions of yuan in Beta Fusion, marking the power battery giant's first investment in a nuclear fusion company. > - Beta Fusion, founded in 2025, aims to achieve 50-100 MW of grid-connected power generation within 6 to 8 years. CATL (HKEX: 3750), the world's largest power battery maker, has led a seed funding round in nuclear fusion startup Beta Fusion, marking the battery giant's first foray into the nuclear fusion field. Chinese media outlet China Star Market reported the deal on June 11, citing people familiar with the matter, saying the funding round was worth several hundred million yuan. Beta Fusion was founded on December 29, 2025, with a registered capital of 1 million yuan ($147,600), and is a startup focused on the commercialization of controlled nuclear fusion, according to its registration information. Join us on Telegram or Google News The company's legal representative is Cao Zhiping, who is also its actual controller, founder, and CEO. Cao is a young scientist in China specializing in the pulsed field reversed configuration fusion technology route, and one of the first key figures in the country to systematically study the route and push for its commercialization, the report noted. Beta Fusion's core team comes from China's top fusion research institutes and has been deeply involved in the overall design and engineering implementation of major national science facilities, according to the company's official materials. The company aims to achieve 50-100 MW of grid-connected power generation within 6 to 8 years. The field reversed configuration (FRC) route that Beta Fusion is betting on is the same as that of US nuclear fusion company Helion Energy, and is seen by the industry as the most aggressive, fastest, and riskiest technology choice, according to China Star Market. Helion signed an agreement with Microsoft in 2023 to supply power to the tech giant in 2028 through its first 50-MW fusion power plant. For CATL, the investment fits into its broader strategic vision. The company's founder Robin Zeng said in 2024 that CATL aims to reinvent itself as a green energy provider, and that the business of developing and managing zero-carbon grids could be 10 times bigger than supplying EV batteries. As AI computing power drives rapid growth in electricity consumption, data centers' demand for hundred-megawatt-scale clean power is becoming increasingly urgent. Nuclear fusion, with advantages including zero pollution and a nearly unlimited supply of raw materials, is seen as a key direction for next-generation clean energy, and has been included in China's 15th Five-Year Plan. CATL is not the first company in China's new energy industry to invest in nuclear fusion. EV maker Nio (NYSE: NIO) invested 995 million yuan in nuclear fusion startup Neo Fusion back in 2023 for a 19.9% stake. CATL currently has ample funds to support such cutting-edge moves. The company posted revenue of 129.13 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, up 52.45% year-on-year, and net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company of 20.74 billion yuan, up 48.52% year-on-year. CATL also continues to dominate China's power battery market. The company's battery installations in May were 33.08 GWh, ranking first with a 46.14% market share, according to data from the China Automotive Battery Innovation Alliance (CABIA). Nio invests in nuclear fusion startup Neo Fusion Nio has acquired a 19.9 percent stake in Neo Fusion and Nio Capital has acquired a 10.1 percent stake. 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