First Report on the UK’s Fusion Sector and its Supply Chain.

London Economics, in partnership with glass.ai and OMB Research was commissioned by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) to undertake a mapping exercise of the UK fusion sector. The research aimed to provide DESNZ, the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and other fusion stakeholders with an overview of the makeup and size of the UK fusion sector across the entire supply chain.

There are a range of well-known private companies in the UK that are dedicated solely to fusion research (e.g., Tokamak Energy, First Light Fusion, General Fusion). However, there are many other firms within the fusion supply chain, which are essential for the success of nuclear fusion.

Using the glass.ai research capability that deep reads the web, evidence of UK fusion activity was identified for 566 companies and organisations. Of this total, 31 organisations can be categorised as “core” fusion companies, that is firms that currently deliver, or have in the past delivered, products, technologies or services that directly contribute to new knowledge and understanding of fusion in the United Kingdom. Further 185 companies and organisations that could be part of the potential supply chain were identified based on similarities to other supply chain companies identified.

Notable clusters were identified in London and the South East (particularly in Oxfordshire), the North West, the South West (particularly in Gloucestershire) and more along the M4 corridor between London and Bristol. Also around the Sheffield, Nottingham and Leeds city regions, Glasgow and Birmingham.

It is the first report of its kind to systematically examine the makeup of the fusion supply chain in the UK. The full UK Fusion report published by London Economics can be found here. If you wish to learn more about our AI research capability, this article provides more detail about how we can capture supply chain intelligence from the web.