The U.S. Commerce Department said on Thursday it plans to provide $389 mln in
R&D funding to four companies developing power semiconductor devices and
critical materials to advance commercial fusion energy and related technologies.
As a condition of the awards, the U.S. government will take minority equity
stakes in the firms without control or voting rights. The funding comes from a
$10 bln fund Congress authorized in 2022; in recent months the government has
issued 19 R&D grants from that fund. Commerce Secretary Lutnick said the funds
will accelerate U.S. semiconductor innovation and bolster domestic energy and
power resources.
