Sub-1¢/kWh Fusion Energy
An Astera Institute initiative applying frontier backcasting to test whether fusion can reach sub-1¢/kWh LCOE within a decade and what must be true to get there
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What is 1cFE
1cFE is an Astera Institute initiative to quantify fusion’s cost structure and map the corridors to sub-1¢/kWh power. Using frontier backcasting, we set the goal first and work backward to identify the physics, engineering, manufacturing, and financing conditions that would make it real. We publish open techno-economic models, benchmarks, and results so anyone can check, reuse, and build on the work.
Why it matters
Everything humanity values rests on abundant, inexpensive energy. If fusion can reach sub-1¢/kWh, it would redefine what civilization can choose to build and do because energy sets the constraints. Abundant power means clean water, cheap compute, new materials, and an expanded civilizational frontier.
What we do
- Quantify the fusion cost stack and map cost-first corridors to sub-1¢/kWh LCOE
- Benchmark AI and engineering tools that can compress science-to-deployment cycles
- Publish open models, data, and negative results to accelerate learning
How we work
- Model the full cost stack from physics to finance
- Use frontier backcasting to work backward from the target cost
- Leverage Astera’s compute resources (Voltage Park) for large-scale AI-driven simulation and analysis
- Publish models, data, and negative results for reuse.
Open roles
We’re hiring mission-driven builders who want to test what’s possible, not just incrementally improve what exists. You think bigger than your peers, question assumptions, and aren’t attached to any one fusion approach. You thrive working in public, engaging with critique, and building open tools others can reuse.
Get in touch
Partnerships, research, hiring, or general questions.
Astera
1cFE is generously funded by Astera (astera.org)
Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward an abundant future for all. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to dramatically accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive scientific progress. Astera is uniquely positioned to shape the course of rapid scientific and technological innovation: we are willing to deploy our $2.5B endowment to take on experimental projects that might fail, and we support projects and people that other organizations won’t or can’t.
