Fusion startup Helion is developing new semiconductors that could double output of its power plants techcrunch.com

Helion won a three-year, $175 million Department of Commerce award under the CHIPS Act to develop and manufacture advanced power semiconductors, alongside a newly announced $50 million private investment from an undisclosed investor. The Washington State production line and related research are intended to reduce power losses in future fusion plants; CEO David Kirtley says halving those losses could double output, but the work will not benefit Helion’s Orion plant, which is being built to supply Microsoft by 2028.