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Licube aims to fuel the fusion energy industry
As the fusion power industry looks toward a commercial future, securing an adequate supply of tritium fuel remains one of its greatest technical hurdles. Startup Licube aims to solve this challenge by licensing technology from Hirosaki University to purify lithium-6, the specific isotope needed for fusion reactors to breed their own tritium on-site. While commercial fusion plants are still years away from plugging into the power grid, Licube is positioning itself as an essential future supplier with an estimated market potential of $50 billion by 2040. In the meantime, the company plans to utilize its electrolytic purification technology to serve existing markets such as semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, and space exploration.