Commonwealth Fusion Systems’ Brandon Sorbom and Helion’s David Kirtley on bringing fusion to the grid at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026

For decades, commercial fusion power has seemed perpetually out of reach. Now two companies are building toward something much more concrete: putting fusion-generated electricity on the grid.

Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) is building SPARC, a demonstration fusion machine intended to pave the way for its first commercial power plant, ARC. Helion is developing Orion, a 50-megawatt fusion power plant intended to supply electricity to Microsoft beginning in 2028.

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 , CFS co-founder and chief science officer Brandon Sorbom and Helion founder and CEO David Kirtley will take the Smart Systems Stage for “Bringing Fusion to the Grid.” They’ll discuss the breakthroughs moving fusion forward, the challenges that remain, and what it will take to deliver fusion power to the grid at scale.