$1 Billion New Mexico Campus Aims to Harness Fusion Energy

U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich joined former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Pacific Fusion co-founder and CEO Eric Lander to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new $1 billion research and manufacturing campus in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The facility, which will serve Pacific Fusion's mission of creating more power than it consumes by 2030, is expected to create over 200 permanent jobs. The project builds on research done at Sandia National Laboratories with the 'Z Machine,' which uses electrical currents and magnetic fields to produce high temperatures and X-rays.

Heinrich called this time period the 'most scientifically exciting in the history of planet Earth.' Schmidt warned that the U.S. is in a race with China for fusion energy research, while Lander emphasized the importance of affordable energy for the nation's prosperity.

The campus will also serve as a hub for data centers, which could eventually use 11% of the nation's energy by 2030. Schmidt suggested building these facilities in rural communities to meet this growing demand.