U.S.-based Blue Laser Fusion (BLF) has raised $25 million in a seed funding round to expand R&D operations in California, as well as in Tokyo, where the company plans to develop its prototype commercial reactor. The company intends to complete its first prototype in 2025, with a commercial-ready fusion reactor anticipated by 2030. BLF plans to adopt a safe hydrogen-boron fuel called HB11 for sustainable and environmentally friendly operations. The HB11 fuel is not radioactive, is free from harmful neutrons, yields safe helium elements, and is a naturally abundant mineral, according to the company.

The round comes after two domestic laser-based fusion technology companies raised $20 million in combined funding this spring. And earlier this month, Japanese laser fusion company EX-Fusion closed a $12.8 million seed round.

BLF was founded in 2022 by a group led by Shuji Nakamura, 2014 Nobel laureate in physics and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The company said it has over 200 claims in patent applications to date.