ENN reports sustained hydrogen-boron fusion in its EXL-50U device

China's ENN Group announced on October 3 that its EXL-50U spherical torus sustained hydrogen-boron fusion reactions at a rate exceeding 100 million reactions per second, The Tech Edvocate reports. The device uses high-energy neutral beam injection and radiofrequency waves to heat the plasma, while magnetic confinement holds it in place. ENN described the result as the first such achievement by a commercial fusion company on its own equipment. Hydrogen-boron reactions primarily produce helium nuclei. The fuel route nevertheless requires substantially higher temperatures than deuterium-tritium fusion, leaving plasma heating and confinement as major engineering challenges.