Why Fusion Doesn’t Stand Alone - 3 Key Insights from an interview with Valerie Jameson
In our latest Spark Session for FEI Premium subscribers, we sat down with Dr. Valerie Jameson, Development Manager of the Fusion Cluster at the UK Atomic Energy Authority. Before joining UKAEA, Valerie spent almost 20 years as a science journalist at New Scientist, giving her a unique perspective on how emerging technologies grow into commercial industries.
The discussion explored what happens when a scientific field begins to mature into an industry. Drawing on her experience in journalism and at the Fusion Cluster, Valerie reflected on what she has learned from covering technologies such as commercial spaceflight and AI, the challenges faced by companies in the fusion supply chain, and why the road to commercial fusion is unlikely to be a straight one.
Here are our 3 key insights.
1. Innovation happens where industries collide
One of the things Valerie enjoyed most about moving from particle physics during her PhD into science journalism was no longer focusing on becoming an expert in a single niche. Instead, she found herself “knowing a little about lots of things.” Over nearly twenty years at New Scientist, she covered everything from space and AI to energy and physics, giving her a rare vantage point from which to spot connections between seemingly unrelated industries.
She illustrated that perspective with a story from 2012, when Elon Musk was asked why he was running both a rocket company and an electric vehicle company. His answer was simple: the two businesses solved each other’s problems. Electric cars need lighter components to offset heavy batteries, while reusable rockets only become affordable through mass manufacturing. SpaceX could learn from the automotive industry, while Tesla could benefit from the rocket industry’s obsession with reducing weight.
For Valerie, that’s exactly the mindset fusion should adopt. The industry’s biggest breakthroughs may not come solely from within fusion itself, but from borrowing ideas, skills and ways of working that already exist elsewhere.
She made the same point with an example from the wind industry. Once dismissed as an “alternative” technology, wind is now a mainstream part of the global energy system. For Valerie, the lesson was that fusion is not alone. Other industries have faced similar challenges and can offer valuable lessons.
2. The fusion supply chain is finding its feet
Fresh from attending the Fusion Industry Association’s inaugural Fusion Supply Chain Trade Show in Santa Fe, New Mexico, Valerie described the event as a milestone for the industry. Five years ago, the idea of a dedicated trade show for fusion suppliers would have felt premature. Today, the exhibition hall was full, the supplier booths sold out, and fusion companies were actively meeting potential partners. For Valerie, this was evidence that fusion is maturing into a full-fledged industry.
That doesn’t mean the supply chain has everything it needs. Valerie said many suppliers are eager to get involved, but they’re still trying to understand where the opportunities lie. Fusion companies are often looking for partners to solve engineering problems together, rather than placing large production orders, which can make it difficult for suppliers to know where they fit.
She argued that the industry could do a much better job of supporting suppliers in three areas: clearly explaining the commercial opportunity; helping companies understand where they fit within the fusion value chain; and making it easier to identify practical routes into the industry.
To Valerie, growing the supply chain isn’t just about attracting more companies. It’s about giving them enough clarity to decide that fusion is worth investing in.
3. The road to commercial fusion probably won’t be the one we’re expecting
Valerie reflected on how quickly perceptions of a technology can change. Today, tools like ChatGPT and Claude are part of everyday life, but it wasn’t long ago that people were talking about an “AI winter” and questioning whether AI would ever deliver on its promise. Looking back, it’s easy to forget that today’s breakthroughs were decades in the making.
She thinks fusion could follow a similar pattern. The route to commercialisation may look very different from the one we imagine today, and ideas that were once put aside may become viable as materials and computing continue to improve. The lesson from AI is that progress is often only obvious in hindsight.
If there was one thread running through the conversation, it was perspective. Having seen industries from AI to commercial space mature over time, Valerie offered a reminder that fusion is part of a much bigger story of technological progress. The challenges may be unique, but the journey is not.
FEI Premium subscribers can watch the full replay of the Spark Session with Valerie Jamieson in our subscribers hub on Circle.
Fusion energy is coming. The fusion industry is growing. Can you afford not to be informed?