US Department of Energy Confirms ‘Landmark’ Nuclear Fusion Reaction

Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) National Ignition Facility reportedly pulled off the reaction on Monday, Dec. 5. Using a laser array the size of a sports stadium, LLNL mimicked the temperatures and pressures found within stars, where nuclear fusion occurs naturally. Their experiment surpassed the fusion threshold by applying 2.05 megajoules (MJ) of energy and receiving a 3.15 MJ fusion energy output in return, resulting in net-positive energy referred to as “ignition.”

“Ignition allows us to replicate for the first time certain conditions that are only found in the stars and sun,” said US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm during Tuesday’s announcement. “This milestone moves us one significant step closer to the possibility of zero-carbon abundant fusion energy powering our society.”

Legislators and clean energy experts alike have joined the Department of Energy in celebrating what’s likely a major step toward a “cleaner” energy grid. But despite everyone’s (well-founded) excitement, it’ll be quite some time before fusion reactions like this one will power everyday infrastructure. LLNL director Kim Budil emphasized that there are still “significant hurdles” to overcome in regards to nuclear fusion technology before it can be used on a large scale—or any scale, for that matter. Such progress could take years, or even a few more decades.

National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) administrator Jill Hruby tacked onto Budil’s prudence by warning that there will be a series of “breakthroughs” and “setbacks” in the development of nuclear fusion technology going forward. Though LLNL’s achievement is significant, it will take continued experimentation and learning to build upon this “engineering marvel.”

LLNL says its ignition success will directly support NNSA’s Stockpile Stewardship Program, which focuses on the safety and reliability of the United States’ nuclear equipment. It will also provide priceless insights for ongoing clean energy research.

Continue reading

IBM, Department of Energy Unveil World’s Fastest Supercomputer

The DoE has unveiled Summit, a new supercomputer from IBM housed at the US Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). It's an order of magnitude more powerful than current US supercomputers and fast enough to beat every other system in the world.

Verizon Throttled California Fire Department’s ‘Unlimited’ LTE During Wildfires

On June 29th of this year, fire department officials realized the vehicle's LTE connection had dropped to 0.5 percent of its usual speed. This made it impossible to effectively coordinate resources attempting to control the wildfires.

Ring Confirms It Works With More Than 400 Police Departments

Ring has come under fire in recent months for the way it partners with law enforcement and helps them obtain camera footage from customers without a warrant. Ring frames this as an initiative to keep neighborhoods safe, but privacy advocates worry about the development of a corporate-controlled surveillance state.

Justice Department Antitrust Division Will Review Google’s Fitbit Acquisition

Rumors began to percolate a few weeks back that Fitbit was interested in being acquired. Google was cited as an interested party, and the deal was official just a few days later. The $2.1 billion deal is now facing a new challenge as the US Justice Department has begun a review of the deal on antitrust grounds.