Are We On The Cusp Of Nuclear Fusion?
About The Episode
August 26, 2026
First up, we open with a conversation about – what else? – data centers, and the question of how much strain they put on energy grids. We’ll also look at lessons in large-scale data center growth from Virginia & Texas, with Rachel Mural from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
We're moving from data centers to general electricity usage, and how things like vehicle charging and heating & cooling put a more urgent strain on infrastructure. Edgar talks with MIT’s Christopher Knittel & Barbara Kates-Garnick from Tufts about how we can address the issue.
We’ll air a field interview about nuclear fission, taped on-site at MIT’s Nuclear Reactor Lab, with managing co-director Gordon Kohse and Sukesh Aghara.
NOVA senior producer Caitlin Saks explains how close we are to a future powered by clean, safe nuclear fusion. And how a local fusion expert came to lead the U.K.’s Atomic Energy Authority earlier this month.
