Lisbon — The global fusion energy sector has seen a significant shift in its funding landscape over the past year, driven by rapidly rising energy demand from artificial intelligence and data infrastructure, according to insights shared following recent discussions with fusion energy founders.

Over the last 12 months, the global fusion industry has raised approximately $2.6 billion, signaling renewed investor confidence in frontier energy technologies. In Europe, the largest funding round was secured by Proxima Fusion, a Munich-based startup, which closed a €130 million Series A round in 2025, marking a milestone for the continent’s fusion ecosystem.

The renewed interest in fusion comes amid a growing imbalance between digital growth and energy supply. Since 2014, global AI compute capacity has increased by an estimated 350,000 times, while global energy generation has grown by only 1.56 times. Industry observers warn that this widening gap is already placing severe strain on electricity infrastructure worldwide.

The consequences are increasingly visible. Power grids are facing widespread bottlenecks, while in Ireland, data centers now consume nearly 20 percent of the country’s total electricity, prompting authorities to freeze new grid connections until 2028. At the same time, a single hyperscale AI data center typically requires 300–500 megawatts of power, with demand potentially doubling when cooling requirements are included levels comparable to those of a full-scale power plant.

Against this backdrop, major global technology conferences are regaining relevance as critical platforms for collaboration. Web Summit 2025 demonstrated the continued value of large-scale convenings, bringing together more than 71,000 attendees, around 3,000 startups, nearly 2,000 investors, over 1,500 media representatives, and 268 government and trade delegations from 82 countries.

Industry leaders note that such scale creates a rare convergence of founders, capital providers, policymakers, and global media, a combination difficult for smaller events to replicate. For frontier sectors such as fusion energy, AI infrastructure, and next-generation power systems, this level of interaction is increasingly seen as essential for accelerating innovation, investment, and policy alignment.

As energy constraints intensify alongside exponential growth in computing demand, fusion and other advanced energy technologies are emerging as critical components in addressing the world’s future power needs.