David Kirtley: Nuclear Fusion, Plasma Physics, and the Future of Energy
Lex Fridman Podcast
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: lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc See below for , transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
Transcript: lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript
CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com/ama Hiring – join our team: lexfridman.com/hiring Other – other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact
EPISODE LINKS: David’s X: @dekirtley David’s LinkedIn: bit.ly/4qX0KXp Helion: helionenergy.com Helion’s YouTube: youtube.com/HelionEnergy
SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to upliftdesk.com/lex Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to fin.ai/lex Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to miro.com LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to drinkLMNT.com/lex BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to betterhelp.com/lex Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to shopify.com/lex
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: lexfridman.com/podcast – Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr – Spotify: spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 – RSS: lexfridman.com/feed/podcast – Podcast Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZg... – Clips Channel: youtube.com/lexclips
Raw Description
<p>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.<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> – give feedback to Lex: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/survey">https://lexfridman.com/survey</a><br /> <b>AMA</b> – submit questions, videos or call-in: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/ama">https://lexfridman.com/ama</a><br /> <b>Hiring</b> – join our team: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/hiring">https://lexfridman.com/hiring</a><br /> <b>Other</b> – 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’s X: <a href="https://x.com/dekirtley">https://x.com/dekirtley</a><br /> David’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’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 & 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) – Introduction<br /> (03:00) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections<br /> (11:35) – Nuclear fission vs fusion<br /> (21:35) – Physics of E=mc^2<br /> (26:50) – Is nuclear fusion safe?<br /> (32:11) – Chernobyl<br /> (38:38) – Geopolitics<br /> (40:33) – Extreme scenarios<br /> (47:28) – How nuclear fusion works<br /> (1:20:20) – Extreme temperatures<br /> (1:25:21) – Fusion control and simulation<br /> (1:37:15) – Electricity from fusion<br /> (2:11:20) – First fusion power plant in 2028<br /> (2:18:13) – Energy needs of GPU clusters<br /> (2:28:38) – Kardashev scale<br /> (2:36:33) – Fermi Paradox</p> <p><b>PODCAST LINKS:</b><br /> – Podcast Website: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a><br /> – Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a><br /> – Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a><br /> – RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a><br /> – Podcast Playlist: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4</a><br /> – Clips Channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/lexclips">https://www.youtube.com/lexclips</a></p>
Chapters (1/16)
Show Notes
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: lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep485-sc See below for , transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
Transcript: lexfridman.com/david-kirtley-transcript
CONTACT LEX: Feedback – give feedback to Lex: lexfridman.com/survey AMA – submit questions, videos or call-in: lexfridman.com/ama Hiring – join our team: lexfridman.com/hiring Other – other ways to get in touch: lexfridman.com/contact
EPISODE LINKS: David’s X: @dekirtley David’s LinkedIn: bit.ly/4qX0KXp Helion: helionenergy.com Helion’s YouTube: youtube.com/HelionEnergy
SPONSORS: To support this podcast, check out our sponsors & get discounts: UPLIFT Desk: Standing desks and office ergonomics. Go to upliftdesk.com/lex Fin: AI agent for customer service. Go to fin.ai/lex Miro: Online collaborative whiteboard platform. Go to miro.com LMNT: Zero-sugar electrolyte drink mix. Go to drinkLMNT.com/lex BetterHelp: Online therapy and counseling. Go to betterhelp.com/lex Shopify: Sell stuff online. Go to shopify.com/lex
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: lexfridman.com/podcast – Apple Podcasts: apple.co/2lwqZIr – Spotify: spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 – RSS: lexfridman.com/feed/podcast – Podcast Playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZg... – Clips Channel: youtube.com/lexclips
Raw Description
<p>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.<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> – give feedback to Lex: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/survey">https://lexfridman.com/survey</a><br /> <b>AMA</b> – submit questions, videos or call-in: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/ama">https://lexfridman.com/ama</a><br /> <b>Hiring</b> – join our team: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/hiring">https://lexfridman.com/hiring</a><br /> <b>Other</b> – 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’s X: <a href="https://x.com/dekirtley">https://x.com/dekirtley</a><br /> David’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’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 & 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) – Introduction<br /> (03:00) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections<br /> (11:35) – Nuclear fission vs fusion<br /> (21:35) – Physics of E=mc^2<br /> (26:50) – Is nuclear fusion safe?<br /> (32:11) – Chernobyl<br /> (38:38) – Geopolitics<br /> (40:33) – Extreme scenarios<br /> (47:28) – How nuclear fusion works<br /> (1:20:20) – Extreme temperatures<br /> (1:25:21) – Fusion control and simulation<br /> (1:37:15) – Electricity from fusion<br /> (2:11:20) – First fusion power plant in 2028<br /> (2:18:13) – Energy needs of GPU clusters<br /> (2:28:38) – Kardashev scale<br /> (2:36:33) – Fermi Paradox</p> <p><b>PODCAST LINKS:</b><br /> – Podcast Website: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a><br /> – Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a><br /> – Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a><br /> – RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a><br /> – Podcast Playlist: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4">https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4</a><br /> – Clips Channel: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/lexclips">https://www.youtube.com/lexclips</a></p>