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

Nov 17, 2025 0

About this episode

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: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc">https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc</a> See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc. Transcript: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript">https://lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript</a> CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/survey">https://lexfridman.com/survey</a> AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/ama">https://lexfridman.com/ama</a> Hiring – join our team: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/hiring">https://lexfridman.com/hiring</a> Other – other ways to get in touch: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/contact">https://lexfridman.com/contact</a> EPISODE LINKS: David’s X: <a href="https://x.com/dekirtley">https://x.com/dekirtley</a> David’s LinkedIn: <a href="https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp">https://bit.ly/4qX0KXp</a> Helion: <a href="https://www.helionenergy.com/">https://www.helionenergy.com/</a> Helion’s YouTube: <a href="https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy">https://youtube.com/HelionEnergy</a> SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/uplift_desk-ep485-sc">https://upliftdesk.com/lex</a> Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/fin-ep485-sc">https://fin.ai/lex</a> Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/miro-ep485-sc">https://miro.com/</a> LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/lmnt-ep485-sc">https://drinkLMNT.com/lex</a> BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/betterhelp-ep485-sc">https://betterhelp.com/lex</a> Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to <a href="https://lexfridman.com/s/shopify-ep485-sc">https://shopify.com/lex</a> 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: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a> – Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a> – Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a> – RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a> – Podcast Playlist: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4</a> – Clips Channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/lexclips">https://www.youtube.com/lexclips</a>

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