Trump Media announces $6 billion fusion energy merger to power AI data centers

Trump Media pivots to fusion energy with $6B AI-focused merger

The all-stock deal would turn Trump Media into the holding company for both Truth Social and TAE. Executives say the combined firm plans to select a site and begin building a utility-scale fusion plant next year. The goal is to supply electricity for large AI data centers. Fusion combines light atomic nuclei to release massive energy. The process powers the sun but remains difficult to replicate on Earth. Experts say commercial fusion remains years away and requires sustained funding and regulatory support. Trump Media has struggled to find profitability since launching Truth Social in 2021. The company went public through a blank-check merger in March 2024. It has since explored cryptocurrency ventures, prediction markets, and a Roku streaming app. The company reported a $54.8 million quarterly loss at the end of September. Its stock had fallen about 70% this year before rebounding sharply on Thursday. Shares jumped more than 34% following the fusion announcement.

Trump Media announces $6bn merger plan with fusion power firm

TMTG, which owns president's Truth Social platform, unveils link-up TAE Technologies to respond to AI boom Donald Trump's loss-making social media business has announced plans to merge with a fusion power company. Trump Media and Technology Group, owner of the US president's minnow Truth Social platform, unveiled an extraordinary merger worth more than $6bn with TAE Technologies, combining its social media operation with a vast bet on the AI boom driving a surge in energy demand. TMTG intends to start building "the world's first utility-scale fusion power plant" next year, it said, in an effort to use the experimental technology to power the huge datacenters behind the development of AI. Shares in TMTG surged 22% during early trading in New York on Thursday. Shareholders of TMTG and TAE Technologies will each own about 50% of the combined entity after the deal is completed. The companies expect this to take place in mid-2026. TAE, backed by Alphabet's Google and Chevron, the oil giant, is aiming to develop and sell next-generation neutral beam systems for fusion and related applications in a more cost-effective manner. Nuclear fusion refers to a nascent technology that aims to generate electricity by harnessing the process that powers the sun. It offers the vision of abundant energy without pollution, radioactive waste or greenhouse gases. TMTG, meanwhile, has struggled to capitalize on its ownership of Trump's Truth Social platform, which the president regularly updates with musings, announcements and attacks. The firm reported sales of $927,900 for the three months to 30 September, down from just over $1.01m the previous year. Its losses also widened to $54.8m, from $19.2m in the same quarter of 2024. Devin Nunes, chairman and CEO of TMTG, made the case for its planned combination of social media and fusion power. "Trump Media & Technology Group built uncancellable infrastructure to secure free expression online for Americans, and now we're taking a big step forward toward a revolutionary technology that will cement America's global energy dominance for generations," Nunes said in a statement. "Fusion power will be the most dramatic energy breakthrough since the onset of commercial nuclear energy in the 1950s - an innovation that will lower energy prices, boost supply, ensure America's A.I.-supremacy, revive our manufacturing base and bolster national defense." TMTG "brings the capital and public market access to quickly move TAE's proven technology to commercial viability", he added. The tech industry's insatiable demand for electricity needed to run datacenters that power artificial intelligence technologies has renewed interest in nuclear power supply, including restarting fully shut reactors, expanding capacity and contracting for power from future small modular reactors. The rising demand is also propelling the development of nuclear power plants, which is widely deemed to be a cleaner source of energy. Nunes will serve as co-CEO of the new company, along with TAE's CEO and director, Michl Binderbauer, the companies said, adding the deal was approved by the boards.

Trump media to merge with fusion energy company in $6 billion AI power deal

Trump Media is merging with fusion energy company TAE Technologies in a multi-billion-dollar deal. The move links social media, clean energy, and artificial intelligence. The new company aims to build large-scale fusion power in the future. Supporters see energy potential, while critics raise concerns about politics, regulation, and funding for this emerging technology. The parent company of U.S. President Donald Trump's social media platform, Truth Social, is merging with a nuclear fusion power company in an unusual deal, according to an announcement made Thursday. The deal brings together Trump Media & Technology Group and TAE Technologies, a private company focused on fusion energy, the companies said. The merger is an all-stock deal and is valued at more than $6 billion, the companies announced, as reported by AP News. The combined company says it plans to find a site and begin construction next year on what it calls the "world's first utility-scale fusion power plant." The goal of the fusion plant is to produce massive amounts of electricity needed to power artificial intelligence systems, the companies said. Nuclear fusion is seen by scientists as a clean energy solution that could reduce climate change caused by burning fossil fuels. Fusion technology is still far away compared to current clean energy sources like wind and solar power. Fusion development requires huge investment and heavy government regulation, making political ties a major concern, said Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer. Painter said Trump's involvement creates a clear conflict of interest because the government is expected to play a big role in regulating fusion energy, as cited in the report by AP News. "He's jumping into this industry just like he jumped into cryptocurrency," Painter said, warning about government influence. Devin Nunes, a Republican former congressman, will serve as co-CEO of the new company after resigning from Congress in 2021 to lead Trump Media. Nunes will share the CEO role with TAE Technologies CEO Michl Binderbauer, the companies said. Shares of Trump Media & Technology have fallen about 70% so far this year, reflecting weak performance. Despite the drop, Trump Media shares jumped 34% in afternoon trading on Thursday after the merger news. TAE Technologies is backed by Google and other investors and is currently a private company, according to AP News. The merger would make one of the first publicly traded nuclear fusion companies in the world, the companies said. Nunes said the deal would help secure America's energy leadership for generations in a prepared statement. TAE's technology focuses on nuclear fusion, which combines two light atomic nuclei into a heavier one to release massive energy. This fusion process happens naturally in the sun and other stars, according to the United Nations' nuclear watchdog. Under the deal, TAE shareholders and Trump Media shareholders will each own about 50% of the combined company. Trump is the largest shareholder in Trump Media, owning 41% of the company's outstanding shares, as stated in the report by AP News. In October, the U.S. Department of Energy released a fusion "road map" to speed up development of the technology. The roadmap aims to build a strong private fusion industry in the U.S. as quickly as possible. Tech companies like Google and Microsoft are interested in fusion as a way to power energy-hungry AI data centers. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also shown interest in fusion technology. Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association, said new funding and a public fusion company are positive steps. Holland said technology breakthroughs depend on time and resources, and this deal adds both. He said the merger allows TAE to move forward faster with building its pilot fusion plant. The location of the pilot plant has not yet been announced, Holland said. Holland called the deal exciting because it helps move closer to a fusion-powered future. Fusion energy can meet AI's huge power needs because it is clean, safe, and scalable once commercialized, Holland said. Before this deal, private fusion companies worldwide raised about $10 billion to make fusion commercially viable. Most fusion investment and development is happening in the United States, Holland said, as reported by AP News. Holland said the Trump administration has voiced strong support for fusion energy. However, he said no new government funding has yet been announced. Industry surveys show companies expect fusion energy to reach the electric grid in the 2030s.Most companies believe fusion power will arrive in the first half of the 2030s, Holland said. The companies said the deal values each share of TAE common stock at $53.89. (After the merger closes, Trump Media & Technology Group will become the holding company for Truth Social and TAE. The combined company will also include TAE Power Solutions and TAE Life Sciences as subsidiaries, as noted in the report by AP News. Q1. What is the Trump Media and TAE Technologies merger about? It is a $6 billion all-stock deal where Trump Media is merging with fusion company TAE to build clean fusion power for future AI energy needs. Q2. Why is nuclear fusion important for AI and clean energy? Fusion can produce huge amounts of clean, safe power, which could support energy-hungry AI data centers in the future.