Singapore enters fusion supply chain with A*STAR and CFS research pact

A*STAR’s Singapore research base is now formally tied to the global fusion energy supply chain through its five-year agreement with Commonwealth Fusion Systems

(Image courtesy of A*STAR)

Singapore has formalised a five-year research collaboration between the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) and Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS). The agreement targets technologies for commercial fusion power plants, including CFS’s ARC power plants, and positions Singapore as an early entrant into the global fusion energy supply chain. CFS aims to generate carbon-free electricity at commercial scale by the early 2030s, and ASTAR’s role in that process begins now.

Fusion supply chain research targets advanced materials and precision manufacturing

ASTAR brings capabilities in translational research, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, and materials testing to the collaboration. The agreement builds on an earlier three-way partnership between ASTAR, CFS, and ST Engineering, a leading technology, defence, and engineering group, which produced components for CFS’s SPARC fusion demonstration machine. That foundation gives the new five-year collaboration a clear industrial starting point.

Professor Lim Keng Hui, Assistant Chief Executive of A*STAR’s Science and Engineering Research Council, said the partnership draws on Singapore’s strengths in translational research to contribute to real-world fusion systems. He noted that such collaborations help local industry build capabilities in high-value, next-generation manufacturing as fusion moves toward commercial deployment.

Singapore’s industrial scaling capabilities accelerate ARC development

CFS CEO and co-founder Bob Mumgaard said Singapore possesses major capabilities in advanced manufacturing and materials engineering, developed across shipbuilding, aerospace, and semiconductor sectors. He said those capabilities would accelerate CFS’s commercialisation journey toward the ARC power plants.

Global investment in fusion has surpassed S$19.1 billion. CFS has raised approximately S$3.85 billion (US$3 billion) from investors including Temasek and Google. Temasek, a global investment company with a net portfolio value of S$434 billion as of 31 March 2025, was a lead investor in one of CFS’s Series A rounds and also collaborates with A*STAR across areas of research and innovation.

Fusion energy works by fusing light atomic nuclei to release large amounts of energy, offering a potential path to reliable, carbon-free power at scale. Beyond fusion-specific applications, the collaboration will also develop capabilities in materials science, advanced manufacturing, and plasma diagnostics that transfer to industries operating under similarly demanding conditions, including aerospace. The agreement supports Singapore’s ambition to be an early entrant in the global fusion energy supply chain as CFS advances toward commercial deployment.

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