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

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<p>David Kirtley is a nuclear fusion engineer and CEO of Helion Energy, a company working on building the world&#8217;s first commercial fusion power plant by 2028.<br /> Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc">https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc</a><br /> See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.</p> <p><b>Transcript:</b><br /> <a href="https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript">https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript</a></p> <p><b>CONTACT LEX:</b><br /> <b>Feedback</b> &#8211; give feedback to Lex: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/survey">https://lexfridman.com/survey</a><br /> <b>AMA</b> &#8211; submit questions, videos or call-in: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/ama">https://lexfridman.com/ama</a><br /> <b>Hiring</b> &#8211; join our team: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/hiring">https://lexfridman.com/hiring</a><br /> <b>Other</b> &#8211; other ways to get in touch: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/contact">https://lexfridman.com/contact</a></p> <p><b>EPISODE LINKS:</b><br /> David&#8217;s X: <a href="https://x.com/dekirtley">https://x.com/dekirtley</a><br /> David&#8217;s LinkedIn: <a href="https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp">https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp</a><br /> Helion: <a href="https://www.helionenergy.com/">https://www.helionenergy.com/</a><br /> Helion&#8217;s YouTube: <a href="https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy">https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy</a></p> <p><b>SPONSORS:</b><br /> To support this podcast, check out our sponsors &#38; get discounts:<br /> <b>UPLIFT Desk:</b> Standing desks and office ergonomics.<br /> Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep485-sc">https://upliftdesk.com/lex</a><br /> <b>Fin:</b> AI agent for customer service.<br /> Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep485-sc">https://fin.ai/lex</a><br /> <b>Miro:</b> Online collaborative whiteboard platform.<br /> Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep485-sc">https://miro.com/</a><br /> <b>LMNT:</b> Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix.<br /> Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep485-sc">https://drinkLMNT.com/lex</a><br /> <b>BetterHelp:</b> Online therapy and counseling.<br /> Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep485-sc">https://betterhelp.com/lex</a><br /> <b>Shopify:</b> Sell stuff online.<br /> Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep485-sc">https://shopify.com/lex</a></p> <p><b>OUTLINE:</b><br /> (00:00) &#8211; Introduction<br /> (03:00) &#8211; Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections<br /> (11:35) &#8211; Nuclear fission vs fusion<br /> (21:35) &#8211; Physics of E=mc^2<br /> (26:50) &#8211; Is nuclear fusion safe?<br /> (32:11) &#8211; Chernobyl<br /> (38:38) &#8211; Geopolitics<br /> (40:33) &#8211; Extreme scenarios<br /> (47:28) &#8211; How nuclear fusion works<br /> (1:20:20) &#8211; Extreme temperatures<br /> (1:25:21) &#8211; Fusion control and simulation<br /> (1:37:15) &#8211; Electricity from fusion<br /> (2:11:20) &#8211; First fusion power plant in 2028<br /> (2:18:13) &#8211; Energy needs of GPU clusters<br /> (2:28:38) &#8211; Kardashev scale<br /> (2:36:33) &#8211; Fermi Paradox</p> <p><b>PODCAST LINKS:</b><br /> &#8211; Podcast Website: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a><br /> &#8211; Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a><br /> &#8211; Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a><br /> &#8211; RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a><br /> &#8211; Podcast Playlist: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4</a><br /> &#8211; Clips Channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/lexclips">https://www.youtube.com/lexclips</a></p>