In this episode of Valley of Depth, we sit down with Xcimer Energy’s cofounders, Conner Galloway and Alexander Valys, to unpack one of the boldest bets in fusion: resurrecting a Cold War-era laser technology to build the fastest, most scalable path to commercial fusion power.
Xcimer has raised over $100 million to bring its inertial confinement fusion system to life, starting with LPK, a high-powered prototype laser built in just four months, and progressing toward Vulcan, a full-scale, ignition-class reactor designed for the grid.
We also discuss:
- Why excimer lasers are making a comeback
- What Xcimer learned from building LPK in just four months
- The Phoenix-to-Vulcan roadmap for commercial fusion
- Lessons from NIF’s ignition milestone and its limits
- The case for fusion as infrastructure, not just science
- How Xcimer is positioning itself in a crowded fusion landscape
…and much, more.
• Chapters •
00:00 – Intro
01:24 – Payload Pro
02:06 – Recent changes in fusion
03:29 – Commercial fusion and perceptions on the tech
05:18 – Founding story of Xcimer
06:51 – Common approaches to fusion today
08:48 – Was the National Ignition Facility (NIF) the catalyst to start Xcimer?
12:22 – Convincing investors to invest $100m into Xcimer
13:34 – What is NIF's goal right now and can it produce electricity?
18:04 – Why hasn't the private sector solved the fusion problem?
20:25 – Xcimer progress report
23:07 – Xcimer's roadmap for the next bigger machine
24:41 – Coming up with Athena
25:33 – Addressing neutron damage
29:54 – The biggest unknown for Xcimer
32:29 – Who are Xcimer's first customers
35:03 – Cost per megawatt per hour to be competitive
37:23 – How much of Xcimer's supply chain is being verticalized
38:48 – Vaporizing a missile with a laser
41:27 – Other fusion companies Alex and Connor admire
44:28 – What inspires a founder or engineer to pursue less proven fusion methods?
47:28 – What drives Alex and Connor to keep on going?
49:02 – First commercial Xcimer fusion plant
• Show notes •
Xcimer’s website — https://xcimer.energy/
Mo's socials — https://twitter.com/itsmoislam
Payload’s socials — https://twitter.com/payloadspace / https://www.linkedin.com/company/payloadspace
Ignition’s socials — https://twitter.com/ignitionnuclear /
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ignition-nuclear/
Tectonic’s socials — https://twitter.com/tectonicdefense / https://www.linkedin.com/company/tectonicdefense/
Valley of Depth archive — Listen: https://pod.payloadspace.com/
• About us •
Valley of Depth is a podcast about the technologies that matter — and the people building them. Brought to you by Arkaea Media, the team behind Payload (space), Ignition (nuclear energy), and Tectonic (defense tech), this show goes beyond headlines and hype. We talk to founders, investors, government officials, and military leaders shaping the future of national security and deep tech. From breakthrough science to strategic policy, we dive into the high-stakes decisions behind the world’s hardest technologies.
- Payload: www.payloadspace.com
- Ignition: www.ignition-news.com
- Tectonic: www.tectonicdefense.com
Valley of Depth