# The Great Fusion Debate: How Far Away Are We Really?

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**Date:** March 16, 2026 · 10:00 PM  
**Location:** JW Marriott / Room 201-202  
**Format:** Panel  
**Track:** Cities & Climate  
**Reviews:** 0

## Speakers

- **Luke
 Ward** — Investment Manager
- **Melanie Windridge** — Founder, Director
- **Jacob Goldstein** — Podcast Host and Author
- **Greg Piefer** — Founder and CEO

Fusion energy could transform civilization or remain perpetually out of reach. Some say commercially viable fusion is decades and billions of dollars away, one of the hardest problems humanity will solve. Others claim it's coming by 2028. Which is it? The gap between these predictions comes down to what “viable” means and which technical barriers matter most. This panel tackles the friction head-on with grounded discussion on fusion milestones, market economics, and fusion's role in powering AI and energy infrastructure. Expect hard questions and competing perspectives from people building and tracking the technology.

## Transcript

A transcript is available for this session: [Read transcript](/sessions/2026-03-16/pp1162254-the-great-fusion-debate-how-far-away-are-we-really/transcript)

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