Scientists have achieved a net energy gain in nuclear fusion for the second time, marking major progress towards realising the potential of the near-limitless energy source. A team at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, who first achieved the feat last December, claimed to have passed a new milestone with fusion ignition by producing even greater energy output than the original experiment. The nuclear fusion process has been described as the “holy grail” of clean energy, as it requires no fossil fuels and leaves behind no hazardous waste. Instead it mimics the natural reactions that occur within the Sun, though harnessing its potential has puzzled scientists since the 1950s. Achieving nuclear fusion ignition is a crucial step towards building commercial power stations, though the technology needs to be significantly scaled up from the current experiments for it to be a viable energy source. The first ever successful fusion energy gain experiment on 5 December, 2022, used lasers to fuse two light atoms into a single one, releasing 3.15 megajoules of energy from 2.05 megajoules of input. Researchers described the milestone as “one of the most significant scientific challenges ever undertaken by humanity” that would “enable the next steps toward clean fusion energy for the future”. Scientists that were not involved in the fusion experiments said the advance had profound implications for the future of the planet. “We are witnessing a moment in history: controlling the power source of the stars is the greatest technological challenge humanity has ever undertaken,” said physicist Arthur Turrell. “This experimental result will electrify efforts to eventually power the planet with nuclear fusion – at a time when we’ve never needed a plentiful source of carbon-free energy more.” A spokesperson for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory said the final results of the latest experiment are still being analysed. The lab plans to present the results at upcoming scientific conferences and in peer-reviewed journals. Several companies are already investing heavily in nuclear fusion, with Microsoft making the world’s first purchase agreement earlier this year. The US tech giant made the deal with Helion Energy, which aims to set up a nuclear fusion power plant within the next five years despite the challenges remaining to make it commercially viable. Helion chief executive David Kirtley said at the time: “We still have a lot of work to do, but we are confident in our ability to deliver the world’s first fusion power facility.” Read More Superconductor breakthrough could represent ‘biggest physics discovery of a lifetime’ – but scientists urge caution Microsoft makes world first nuclear fusion energy deal Zuckerberg says he is ‘ready today’ but ‘not holding breath’ for cage fight with Musk Musk pledges to fund legal bills of X users ‘unfairly treated’ by employers for posts Scientists want to hack the planet to cool it down. The consequences could be extreme

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TAMPA, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 16, 2023--

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A Belfast-based software supply chain management firm has announced an £8.8m investment. Cloudsmith will use the funding to grow operations for its global client base, including leading software companies such as Shopify, PagerDuty, Font Awesome, HP and EnterpriseDB. The funding, led by MMC Ventures, will bolster the firm’s ability to deliver a software supply chain platform. Cloudsmith provides organisations with a single source for managing all their software assets, including datasets required to build the AI products of the future. Recently appointed chief executive officer Glenn Weinstein said the industry demand for software supply chain solutions is surging. He said: “Despite economic headwinds and a slow venture capital funding market, this announcement reaffirms the confidence our investors have in Cloudsmith. “We’ve been successfully disrupting and reinventing the software supply chain market. “This fresh infusion of capital also comes as industry demand for secure and reliable software supply chain solutions is surging. “Cybersecurity attacks of increasing severity have become more frequent, and threaten reputational damage, data exfiltration and IP theft.” The firm’s software supply chain management platform is designed to meet the needs of software teams building for internal use or distributing software packages to the market. It provides a suite of artefact storage, management and distribution solutions, allowing developers and companies to streamline and control their software supply chain, improve collaboration and accelerate product delivery. Belfast is a leading tech hub with a thriving digital economy Glenn Weinstein Mr Weinstein added: “This funding will be used to enhance Cloudsmith’s unique cloud-native software supply chain solution, which is faster, more secure and of higher value than the legacy on-premises vendors we’re displacing. “Cloudsmith is a great choice for companies with software teams distributed in remote locations, and while the US is our largest market, we continue to see increased demand from a range of countries including the UK, Germany and Australia.” He emphasised the strategic importance of its Belfast headquarters which benefits from access to both UK and EU markets. “Belfast is a leading tech hub with a thriving digital economy. “We see this renewed round of investment as a doubling down on Cloudsmith’s commitment to this vibrant city.” Read More Young people the biggest users of generative AI, Ofcom study shows No ‘smoking gun’ linking mental health harm and the internet – study UK and South Korea issue warning over North Korea-linked cyber attacks Data protection watchdog warns websites over cookie consent alerts Employee data leaked during British Library cyber attack Half of adults who chat online with strangers do not check age – poll