Qbeam Solution, a nuclear fusion technology startup, has been selected as the lead organization for the Ministry of Science and ICT's project to develop a next-generation magnetic mirror fusion demonstration device, the company said Wednesday.
Qbeam Solution will participate in the ministry's "Development of a Demonstration Device for Key Design Variables of a Magnetic Mirror Fusion Reactor" project. Magnetic mirror technology refers to using magnetic fields to confine plasma, the raw material for fusion, within a specific area. The project develops a magnetic mirror-based demonstration device together with the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), the Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), and the Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH), with a total project cost of 6.6 billion won.
As the lead organization, Qbeam Solution will oversee the entire project while also pursuing the construction of a neutral beam injection (NBI) heating device, a core technology for ultra-high-temperature plasma heating. The NBI device shoots high-speed neutral particle beams into plasma to raise its temperature to hundreds of millions of degrees. It is considered an essential device for triggering fusion reactions.
Qbeam Solution will combine its own NBI hardware technology with plasma diagnostic technology and an artificial intelligence (AI)-based analysis system developed through joint research. Through this, the company aims to derive key design variables that will enable a fusion reactor to produce more energy than it consumes.
"The magnetic mirror device is itself a next-generation compact fusion reactor model," Qbeam Solution CEO Jung Bong-gi said. "We will successfully lead the development of this demonstration device and contribute to building a private sector-led Korean-style fusion commercialization ecosystem."
