#485 – David Kirtley: Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Physics, and the Future of Energy

Show notes

David Kirtley is a nuclear fusion engineer and CEO of Helion Energy, a company working on building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant by 2028. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: [https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc]( https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc">https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. **Transcript:** [https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript]( https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript">https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript **CONTACT LEX:** **Feedback** – give feedback to Lex: [https://lexfridman.com/survey]( https://lexfridman.com/survey">https://lexfridman.com/survey **AMA** – submit questions, videos or call-in: [https://lexfridman.com/ama]( https://lexfridman.com/ama">https://lexfridman.com/ama **Hiring** – join our team: [https://lexfridman.com/hiring]( https://lexfridman.com/hiring">https://lexfridman.com/hiring **Other** – other ways to get in touch: [https://lexfridman.com/contact]( https://lexfridman.com/contact">https://lexfridman.com/contact **EPISODE LINKS:** David’s X: [https://x.com/dekirtley]( https://x.com/dekirtley">https://x.com/dekirtley David’s LinkedIn: [https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp]( https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp">https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp Helion: [https://www.helionenergy.com/]( https://www.helionenergy.com/">https://www.helionenergy.com/ Helion’s YouTube: [https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy]( https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy">https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy **SPONSORS:** To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: **UPLIFT Desk:** Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to [https://upliftdesk.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift\_desk-ep485-sc">https://upliftdesk.com/lex **Fin:** AI agent for customer service. Go to [https://fin.ai/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep485-sc">https://fin.ai/lex **Miro:** Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to [https://miro.com/]( https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep485-sc">https://miro.com/ **LMNT:** Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to [https://drinkLMNT.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep485-sc">https://drinkLMNT.com/lex **BetterHelp:** Online therapy and counseling. Go to [https://betterhelp.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep485-sc">https://betterhelp.com/lex **Shopify:** Sell stuff online. Go to [https://shopify.com/lex]( https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep485-sc">https://shopify.com/lex **OUTLINE:** (00:00) – Introduction (03:00) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections (11:35) – Nuclear fission vs fusion (21:35) – Physics of E=mc^2 (26:50) – Is nuclear fusion safe? (32:11) – Chernobyl (38:38) – Geopolitics (40:33) – Extreme scenarios (47:28) – How nuclear fusion works (1:20:20) – Extreme temperatures (1:25:21) – Fusion control and simulation (1:37:15) – Electricity from fusion (2:11:20) – First fusion power plant in 2028 (2:18:13) – Energy needs of GPU clusters (2:28:38) – Kardashev scale (2:36:33) – Fermi Paradox **PODCAST LINKS:** – Podcast Website: [https://lexfridman.com/podcast]( https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast – Apple Podcasts: [https://apple.co/2lwqZIr]( https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr – Spotify: [https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8]( https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 – RSS: [https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/]( https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/ – Podcast Playlist: [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP\_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4]( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP\_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP\_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 – Clips Channel: [https://www.youtube.com/lexclips]( https://www.youtube.com/lexclips">https://www.youtube.com/lexclips