Two German institutions—the University of Rostock and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) research center—have come together to launch HEDI: The High Energy Density Initiative. The initiative will serve as a fusion research hub to investigate the physical processes and extreme conditions associated with nuclear fusion.

HEDI’s research into the behavior of matter at extremely high temperatures and pressures is expected to have applications for future inertial confinement fusion energy projects as well as for basic astronomical knowledge.

In the foothills of the Rocky Mountains on the outskirts of Fort Collins, Colo.—home to Colorado State University—work began this month on a new laser facility funded by a public-private partnership. The private portion is $150 million from Marvel Fusion, announced in August 2023, while $12.5 million—the latest funding for CSU from the Department of Energy’s Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (FES)—will support the new facility as part of LaserNetUS, a laser research network operated by DOE-FES to provide access to laser facilities for multidisciplinary researchers from the United States and abroad.