Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

New Capabilities

Leading U.S. fusion ignition research and weapons stewardship

NIF achieved ignition for the 11th time on June 20, 2026, producing 7.9 megajoules from 2.08 megajoules of laser energy. The Department of Energy approved a laser upgrade in April that will push NIF's laser energy from 2.2 to 2.6 megajoules, which would allow the 8.6-megajoule yield record to be broken.

Updated Oct 22