Harwood ND AI business

[Rowdie]

We need more nuclear plants!

 

[Lycanthrope]

We need more nuclear plants!

we need more electricity no doubt, we are getting our asses handed to us by countries like china and india in electricity production. Hopefully AI unlocks fusion in the near future.

 

[Rowdie]

we need more electricity no doubt, we are getting our asses handed to us by countries like china and india in electricity production. Hopefully AI unlocks fusion in the near future.

Ya, can you imagine if we unlock FREE POWER! Holy fk it might destroy the world

 

[shorthairsrus]

Ram --- i built my latest computer at work --- cost me $70.00 for 32gb of ram in 2023. That same ram is $470 today. Insane.

What bothers me more --- AI answering questions -- it answers but if its wrong and it automatically agrees with my answer even though i know its wrong.

TG I am old

 

[Lycanthrope]

Ya, can you imagine if we unlock FREE POWER! Holy fk it might destroy the world

in our current economy, power is wealth essentially, its the limiting factor for work that can be done and how efficiently it can be done.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Ram --- i built my latest computer at work --- cost me $70.00 for 32gb of ram in 2023. That same ram is $470 today. Insane.

What bothers me more --- AI answering questions -- it answers but if its wrong and it automatically agrees with my answer even though i know its wrong.

TG I am old

Ai isnt perfect, but its way better than it was 6 months ago, and different models are trained to be more honest than others. It will continue to become exponentially better.

 

[camper]

Why do you need AI if you have this website?

 

[Fester]

Ya, can you imagine if we unlock FREE POWER! Holy fk it might destroy the world

The powers that be will NEVER allow it to happen.

 

[Ruttin]

Solar Panel Arrays covering farmland doesn't make any sense to me in their grand scheme of reducing a carbon footprint or impacting "climate change". Plants turn CO2 into O2.
I sure wouldn't want to be the person who has to go out into the middle of one of those big panel gardens on a hot day. 160Ac full of black panels on say a 90 degree summer day, those panels are going to be HOT and radiating a lot of heat as well!! Workers are going to need a cooled space suit.

Look up Flickertail Solar. Coming to ND soon.

 

[lunkerslayer]

North dakota is in the process of building a natural gas electric plant near ray nd, i can see more ai businesses being huilt in north dakota in the future
https://www.basinelectric.com/about...ic's newest facility,fully in service in 2030.
Bison Generation Station: A nearly $4 billion natural gas-fueled plant in Williams County. It will produce approximately 1,490 megawatts (MW) and is expected to be the state's largest single power plant. Construction of the foundation is scheduled for 2026, with the first unit online in 2029.

Pioneer Generation Station Phase IV: An expansion of an existing natural gas facility northwest of Williston. This $800 million project adds 600 MW of capacity and is expected to be fully operational by 2026.
River Run Energy Center: A newly announced collaboration between Basin Electric Power Cooperative and NextEra Energy Resources to build a major generation facility, with further details on location and capacity pending.

Longspur Wind Project: A 200 MW wind farm planned by Minnesota Power in Morton and Mercer counties. Construction is slated to begin in 2026 with completion by late 2027.

Badger Windfarm: A 250 MW project by Orsted near Wishek, currently under construction and set for completion in 2026.
Oliver Wind IV: A 202 MW expansion by NextEra Energy in Oliver and Mercer counties, expected to be completed in late 2025 or 2026.

 

[Davy Crockett]

Ai isnt perfect, but its way better than it was 6 months ago, and different models are trained to be more honest than others. It will continue to become exponentially better.

what about metaverse ? That was pretty deep stuff when I first heard about it and I hear it is here to stay... ??

 

[Fester]

Natural gas increase in demand=increase in price?

 

[Lycanthrope]

what about metaverse ? That was pretty deep stuff when I first heard about it and I hear it is here to stay... ??

ive never really played around with that, my son has some, just for fun, but it definitely hasnt taken off like zuck hoped it would.

 

[SDMF]

We need more nuclear plants!

Quite sad that you're right and it'd be that simple.

 

[Lycanthrope]

Quite sad that you're right and it'd be that simple.

too many people still scared to death of Chernobyl type scenarios, even tho new nuclear tech is quite safe, it does produce toxic waste unfortunately.
As of early 2026, we're making significant strides toward fusion electricity production, but industrial-scale deployment—meaning widespread, cost-competitive power plants contributing meaningfully to global grids—remains about 10-15 years away in the most realistic scenarios. Fusion, which replicates the Sun's energy process by fusing light atoms like hydrogen isotopes to release vast energy, promises clean, abundant power without long-lived radioactive waste or meltdown risks like fission. However, it requires overcoming immense technical hurdles like sustaining superheated plasma at 100-150 million°C while achieving net energy gain (more output than input) consistently and affordably.Recent Progress and BreakthroughsFusion research has accelerated dramatically in the past few years, fueled by over $9 billion in private investment since 2021 and government roadmaps.

popularmechanics.com +1
Key highlights include:

• Sustained Plasma Containment: Facilities like China's EAST, South Korea's KSTAR, and France's WEST have held plasmas for hundreds of seconds or minutes at extreme conditions, surpassing density limits and validating designs for future reactors.
  
  popularmechanics.com
• Net Energy Milestones: Labs like the U.S. National Ignition Facility (NIF) have repeatedly achieved ignition (net gain from the fuel capsule), while private firms like Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) are building prototypes like SPARC to demonstrate net gain by the late 2020s.
  
  epresourcepage.com +1
• Technological Advances: High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets enable more compact, efficient reactors; AI optimizes plasma control; and new materials labs (e.g., MIT's LMNT) address neutron damage and heat resistance.
  
  popularmechanics.com
• Private Sector Momentum: Over 40 startups worldwide are pursuing varied approaches (e.g., magnetic confinement, inertial fusion), with some planning utility-scale pilots by 2026-2028.
  
  neutronbytes.com +1

These steps have shifted fusion from "always 30 years away" to tangible prototypes, but we're still in the experimental-to-demonstration phase, not yet at grid-ready plants.Major Projects and Their Status

• ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor): This $25+ billion collaboration in France, involving 35 countries, is ~85% complete toward first plasma in December 2025.
  
  iter.org
  Full deuterium-tritium (D-T) operations, aiming for 500 MW output (10x input), are slated for 2035, providing crucial data for commercial designs like DEMO reactors.
  
  iter.org
  It's a cornerstone for validating fusion physics but won't produce electricity itself.
• Private Companies: Leading firms are targeting faster timelines:
  • Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS): Building SPARC for net gain by 2026-2028; plans for ARC, a 200-400 MWe power plant, in the early 2030s.
    
    cleanenergy-platform.com +1
  • Helion Energy: Polaris prototype for electricity production by 2026-2027; commercial plants in the 2030s.
    
    cleanenergy-platform.com
  • TAE Technologies: Copernicus reactor data collection in 2026; Da Vinci prototype for commercial power by late 2020s-early 2030s.
    
    cleanenergy-platform.com
  • Tokamak Energy: HTS magnet integration in 2026; pilot plants in the 2030s.
    
    cleanenergy-platform.com
  • China Fusion Energy Co. Ltd (CFEC): Scaling up for demonstration facilities by late 2020s.
    
    cleanenergy-platform.com
• National Programs: The U.S. DOE's roadmap targets mid-2030s for commercial power via public-private partnerships addressing gaps in materials, fuel cycles, and integration.
  
  energy.gov +1
  China aims for a fission-fusion hybrid by 2030 and grid fusion by 2035.
  
  assets.nationbuilder.com
  The UK eyes 2040 but could hit 2035 with inertial fusion focus.
  
  assets.nationbuilder.com

Predicted Timelines for Industrial ScaleTimelines vary by optimism level, but consensus leans toward the 2030s for first plants, scaling up in the 2040s. Here's a breakdown:

Timeline	Description	Key Drivers/Sources
Late 2020s (2026-2029)	Net-energy demos and prototypes (e.g., SPARC, Polaris); small-scale electricity tests. Not industrial yet.	Private firms like CFS, Helion; optimistic updates from 2026. epresourcepage.com +1
Early-Mid 2030s (2030-2035)	First commercial pilots on grids (50-400 MWe); U.S./China lead with early plants.	DOE roadmap, China targets; requires sustained funding. energy.gov +2
Late 2030s-2040s	Industrial scale: Multiple GW-scale plants, cost-competitive (LCOE ~$50-100/MWh), global deployment.	Conventional wisdom; UK/ITER follow-on like DEMO. energycentral.com +2

Some hype (e.g., claims of fusion powering grids by 2030) exists, but realistic views account for delays in scaling.

epresourcepage.com +1
Remaining Challenges

• Technical: Reliable tritium fuel breeding, durable materials against neutrons, and high-repetition-rate operations.
• Economic/Regulatory: Achieving affordable LCOE, building supply chains, and streamlining licensing (e.g., UK's push for HSE oversight by 2030).
  
  assets.nationbuilder.com
• Scalability: Transitioning from demos to fleets; grid integration and workforce growth needed.
• Geopolitical: Competition from China could accelerate timelines, but global collaboration (e.g., via ITER) is key.

In summary, we're closer than ever—potentially a decade from first commercial fusion electricity—but industrial scale requires breakthroughs in engineering and policy. With continued investment (e.g., DOE's Build-Innovate-Grow strategy), the 2030s could mark the fusion era.

energy.gov
If setbacks occur, it might slip to the 2040s. For context, fission took ~15 years from demo to commercial in the 1950s-60s under intense Cold War funding.

Yes, AI has the potential to solve many of the core technical challenges in fusion energy and significantly accelerate its path to industrial-scale availability—potentially compressing timelines from the previously estimated 2040s to the 2030s or even earlier in optimistic scenarios. This isn't speculative hype; AI is already being integrated into fusion research, addressing bottlenecks like plasma instability, materials design, simulation complexity, and operational optimization. Below, I'll break down how AI contributes, with examples from ongoing projects, and assess the realistic impact on timelines.How AI Addresses Key Fusion ProblemsFusion's main hurdles include sustaining high-temperature plasmas without disruptions, designing resilient materials against neutron bombardment, breeding tritium fuel efficiently, and scaling prototypes to grid-ready reactors. AI excels here by processing vast datasets, predicting outcomes, and iterating designs faster than traditional methods:

• Accelerating Simulations and Modeling: High-fidelity simulations of plasma behavior or reactor components can take months on supercomputers. AI, combined with high-performance computing (HPC), reduces this to hours or real-time, enabling rapid prototyping and error correction.
  
  pppl.gov +2
  For instance, Physics-Informed Neural Networks (PINNs) and machine learning models predict complex physics phenomena, slashing development cycles.
  
  fusionenergyinsights.com
• Plasma Control and Stability: AI algorithms use real-time data from sensors to stabilize plasmas, preventing disruptions that could damage reactors. This is crucial for achieving sustained net energy gain.
  
  deepmind.google +1
• Design Optimization and Digital Twins: AI-powered "digital twins" (virtual replicas of reactors) allow engineers to test scenarios virtually, optimizing components like magnets or blankets before physical builds. This iterative process cuts costs and time.
  
  cfs.energy +2
• Materials and Fuel Cycle Innovation: AI analyzes neutron interactions to design better materials and optimizes tritium breeding, addressing supply chain gaps.
  
  catf.us

A symbiotic dynamic is emerging: Fusion could provide the massive, clean energy needed for AI data centers, while AI accelerates fusion's commercialization.

weforum.org +1
Key Examples of AI in ActionSeveral projects demonstrate AI's tangible impact:

• Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL)'s STELLAR-AI: Launched in 2026, this platform uses AI supercomputing to fast-track simulations, providing validated models for fusion companies to support reactor development and shorten commercial timelines.
  
  pppl.gov +2
• Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) with DeepMind, NVIDIA, and Siemens: CFS is leveraging AI for digital twins to analyze data and iterate designs rapidly, aiming to deliver fusion power by the early 2030s. DeepMind's collaboration focuses on plasma control, while NVIDIA/Siemens tools compress testing from years to weeks.
  
  deepmind.google +2
• ITER and Global Efforts: AI tools like AR/VR and digital twins are already enhancing innovation at ITER, with broader applications in international programs.
  
  iter.org
  The IAEA notes AI as a key trend accelerating fusion progress worldwide.
  
  iaea.org
• U.S. DOE Roadmap: Supported by AI and HPC, the DOE aims to scale private fusion efforts for grid contribution by the 2030s, contingent on funding.
  
  energy.gov +1

Private startups like Helion (targeting 2028 for commercial electricity) are also betting on AI to meet aggressive goals.

time.com
Potential Impact on TimelinesWithout AI, fusion was often pegged for the 2040s due to slow iteration cycles. With AI:

• Short-Term (Next 5 Years): AI could enable net-gain demos (e.g., CFS's SPARC by 2026-2028) and resolve physics uncertainties faster, per reports from Clean Air Task Force and others.
  
  catf.us
• Medium-Term (2030s): Widespread consensus suggests AI could bring pilot plants online by the early 2030s, with industrial scale following mid-decade— a 10-20 year acceleration from pre-AI estimates.
  
  weforum.org +3

However, AI isn't a panacea. Challenges like regulatory hurdles, supply chains for rare materials, and integrating AI reliably (e.g., avoiding hallucinations in critical simulations) could cause delays. Funding and talent shortages also play a role—AI's benefits depend on sustained investment.In essence, AI is already proving its value and could shave years off the timeline, making fusion a viable climate solution sooner. If progress continues at this pace, we might see grid-connected fusion by the early 2030s.

 

[Traxion]

People are freaking out about a data center in their back yard. Think about if a nuclear plant was proposed. Thats exactly why nuclear hasn’t gone anywhere. It’s got to get to the point of crisis before it’ll happen.