Bitcoin

Nuclear fusion represents a potential long-term solution to the energy trilemma (cost, reliability, and carbon intensity). For crypto, energy is the lifeblood of proof-of-work mining and the broader infrastructure. If fusion becomes viable, it could dramatically lower mining costs and reduce the environmental criticism that has historically pressured crypto adoption, but this is a decade-plus timeline.

A raft of start-up firms is betting on nuclear fusion, despite the technology not yet being reliably tamed for energy generation.