TAE and UKAEA form joint venture to commercialise neutral beams

TAE Technologies and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) have announced a new joint venture, TAE Beam UK, to commercialise TAE’s particle accelerator technology and develop neutral beams for fusion and other applications.

• Main announcement: The partners will form TAE Beam UK based at UKAEA’s Culham Campus (Oxfordshire) to design, develop, manufacture and service neutral beams for fusion and adapt the accelerator technology for cancer therapeutics, food safety and homeland security. UKAEA will make an equity investment of £5.6 million, and the venture is backstopped by TAE’s own nine-figure investment; the project aims to deliver first short-pulse beams within 18–24 months from start of work, subject to customary regulatory approvals.
• Background and implementation details: The JV will leverage UKAEA’s decades of expertise operating JET and TAE’s patented accelerator R&D and UK facilities (including TAE Power Solutions in the West Midlands). The announcement ties into the UK–US Technology Prosperity Deal and UK government support referenced as over £2.5 billion backing for the fusion industry; the JV will focus on establishing a UK-based supply chain and creating high-skilled jobs.