Is Fusion Energy 5 Years Away or 50? Help Us Get This Debate to SXSW

The question that shapes everything—climate solutions, energy investments, geopolitics.

Vote for our SXSW panel: Vote Now - 2 Minutes

The Great Fusion Debate: Coming to SXSW 2026 - with your help

We've proposed "The Great Fusion Debate: How Far Away Are We Really?" for SXSW 2026. Now we need your vote to make it happen.

We're bringing the realistic timeline conversation that investors, policymakers, and anyone planning for the future of fusion energy needs to hear.

The People Who Know Fusion’s Timeline

• Greg Piefer - SHINE Founder & CEO
  Building fusion tech that's already making medical isotopes and solving nuclear waste
• Melanie Windridge - Fusion Energy Insights Founder
  The analyst who tracks every fusion company and breakthrough
• Jacob Goldstein – Host of “What’s Your Problem Podcast” and former Planet Money Host
  The journalist who makes complex topics crystal clear
• Plus an investment perspective from Baillie Gifford, who's actually putting money behind fusion

Where Fusion Leaders Disagree

You'll get the realistic timeline for fusion energy as we discuss when it will actually power our grid, fuel AI's massive energy needs, and which breakthroughs actually matter. Expect clear examples from people who've made fusion work commercially, not theoretical projections from the sidelines.

Some companies promise fusion energy by 2028. Our founder and CEO, Greg, believes it's one of humanity's hardest problems, requiring decades and billions in investment.

Who's right? This panel will give you the information to decide for yourself.

We See Fusion Differently

Instead of chasing distant energy breakthroughs, we’re taking a market-driven path – proving fusion’s commercial viability today with medical isotopes for cancer treatment, neutron testing for critical infrastructure, and nuclear waste recycling partnerships to turn problems into solutions.

This markets-first approach funds our path to fusion energy while creating value right now. We believe commercial fusion energy requires decades of serious investment and proven technology, not optimistic timelines.

Vote to Get Real Answers

Voting closes August 24. Your vote gets this conversation on the world's biggest stage for breakthrough ideas.

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Let's make sure SXSW gets the fusion discussion it deserves.