Germany’s Gauss Fusion has introduced its Conceptual Design Report (CDR), a comprehensive blueprint that details the development pathway for its planned GIGA fusion power plant. The CDR outlines how commercial fusion energy could become a reality by 2045, moving the technology out of the research phase into industrial adoption.
The CDR was released just days after the German Government announced its €2bn Fusion Action Plan, following Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s May 2025 coalition agreement, which set goals for building the world’s first fusion power plant. The report itself was developed over three years, and Gauss Fusion completed its conceptual design of plant systems between 2023 and 2025. Collaboration agreements and funding milestones spanned 2022 through 2024, including an €8m founders’ financing round and €10m from the German government. In June 2025, Gauss Fusion started the operational “phase two” of its magnet technology development plan. The next phase, focused on detailed engineering, will begin after an independent review in January 2026.
Gauss Fusion – a company founded in 2022 in Garching bei München – brings together partners from Germany, France, Italy, and Spain and collaborates with leading European research institutes. Its shareholders include the Malacalza Family (Italy), Alcen (France), IDOM (Spain), RI Research Instruments, and Bruker EAS (Germany). Industrial partners such as ENEA, ICAS, SIMIC, ASG Superconductors, Alsymex, Assystem, CEA, IDOM, and key German institutes (KIT, FZJ, IPP) are all involved in supporting different technical aspects, manufacturing, and engineering. Germany’s Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has played a central role in supporting public–private partnerships. In addition, Gauss Fusion has forged a strategic partnership with UK-based Tokamak Energy, combining expertise to develop high-temperature superconducting magnets for fusion reactors.
Gauss Fusion’s mission is to commercialise fusion power plants based on stellarator magnetic confinement, chosen for its steady-state capability and potential low-cost electricity output. The CDR establishes both cost and schedule estimates, concluding that an initial commercial fusion reactor could cost €15–18bn and be operational by the mid-2040s. By structuring its programme into milestone-based phases and collaborating with industrial, academic, and governmental entities, Gauss Fusion aims to create a ‘Eurofighter for Fusion’ – a pan-European initiative designed to deliver energy sovereignty for the continent. The report calls for urgent action to keep Europe competitive amidst aggressive investments in fusion by the US and China. According to CEO Milena Roveda, only a pan-European approach can effectively harness the expertise, resources, and supply chains required, and ensure Europe is not left behind in the race for clean energy innovation.
