内容来源：https://www.geekwire.com/2026/zap-energys-nuclear-double-play-fusion-startup-is-the-first-to-add-traditional-atomic-power-to-its-lineup/

内容总结：

美国初创公司Zap Energy宣布同时推进核裂变与核聚变技术

当地时间周三，美国核能初创公司Zap Energy宣布了一项雄心勃勃的计划：成为全球首家同时推进核裂变与核聚变两条技术路线的公司。核聚变通过碰撞轻原子产生能量，前景广阔但尚未被验证；而核裂变则是通过分裂重原子来发电，已在全球多座反应堆中得到广泛应用。

为支撑这一双重目标，公司任命扎布里娜·乔哈尔为首席执行官，接替联合创始人本杰·康威，后者将转任公司总裁。

长期以来，核聚变创新企业往往刻意与传统的核裂变技术划清界限，以规避公众对反应堆熔毁和核废料的担忧。但Zap Energy的领导层认为，这种区分实际上筑起了一堵“虚假的墙”，而他们决心将其推倒。

“裂变与聚变是同一物理本质的两种表现形式，”康威在声明中表示，“这不是一次转向——通过将两者整合到同一个平台，我们可以更快推进、降低风险，并打造一家更具持久竞争力的公司。”

当前全球对新能源的需求极为迫切，众多客户和政府都在寻求不产生碳排放、不加剧气候变化的解决方案。随着科技公司争相建设支持人工智能的数据中心，以及交通、住宅和工业领域加速电气化，电力需求正急剧攀升。

成立九年来，Zap Energy一直在开发商业聚变技术，建造聚变装置及并网所需系统。公司已累计融资超过3.3亿美元，并入选美国能源部聚变开发计划。然而，掌握聚变物理原理——本质上是在地面装置中重现太阳的燃烧反应——既充满不确定性，成本也极高。尽管全球有数十家公司正在追逐商用的聚变能源，但目前无一成功。

Zap Energy表示，开发下一代裂变技术更具可预测性，并能更快带来收入，同时为推进聚变研究提供支持。公司目标是在2030年代初推出可销售的裂变解决方案。

新任CEO乔哈尔早年在美国海军担任核推进领域军官和工程师，随后在通用原子公司工作18年，负责核能与国防业务的战略开发。她最近任职于蒙特利尔核电工程公司AtkinsRéalis。公司还任命了比尔·盖茨支持的核能企业TerraPower前董事丹尼尔·沃尔特为核工程总监。

虽然其他聚变公司也在寻求多元化营收，但Zap是第一家将裂变反应堆开发纳入业务版图的企业。随着电力需求激增，美国传统核能正迎来复兴，政府正投资裂变创新并加速行业审批，科技公司也在出资维持现有反应堆运行，并支持开发更小、更便宜、部署更快的小型模块化反应堆。

Zap计划开发与其聚变装置尺寸大致相当的微型反应堆。其技术源自美国国家实验室数十年前研发的实验增殖反应堆-II，后被东芝采用于4S反应堆设计。Zap表示，正在重振东芝的4S设计——这是一个采用液态钠冷却的10兆瓦微型反应堆，可数十年无需换料。由于Zap聚变装置使用液态锂，其特性与钠相似，因此技术基础可以共享。

公司坚信，客户对两种核能技术都有旺盛需求。“满足这一需求需要更简单、更灵活的系统以及更快的部署路径，”乔哈尔说，“裂变为我们提供了实现部署的途径，聚变则为我们提供了变革的路径。将两者结合，我们就能兼得。”

中文翻译：

Zap Energy公司周三宣布，将成为首家同时推进两条核电路径的企业：聚变能（一种尚未成熟但前景广阔的技术，通过撞击轻原子产生能量）与裂变能（更广为人知的核能路径，通过分裂重原子为全球反应堆提供动力）。为支撑这一双重目标，公司已任命扎布里娜·乔哈尔为首席执行官，接替联合创始人本杰·康威，后者将转任总裁。

鉴于公众对以往反应堆熔毁和放射性废物的担忧，聚变能创新企业通常会在其核能解决方案与传统裂变技术之间划清界限。但Zap高层表示，这种区分制造了"虚假壁垒"，这家位于华盛顿州埃弗里特的公司已准备好将其推倒。

"裂变与聚变是同一基础物理学的两种表现形式，"康威在声明中表示，"这不是战略转向——通过将两者整合至统一平台，我们能加速发展、降低风险，并建立更具持久性的企业。"

全球对新能源的需求极为迫切，众多客户和政府渴望不释放碳、不加剧气候变化的解决方案。随着科技公司为支持人工智能而竞相建设数据中心，同时交通运输、住宅和工业领域推进电气化运营，电力需求正急剧飙升。

自九年前成立以来，Zap一直致力于开发商业聚变技术，建造聚变装置及将电力输送至电网所需系统。公司已从投资者处筹集超3.3亿美元，并入选美国能源部聚变能开发计划。但掌握聚变物理原理——本质上是在地面设备中复现太阳的燃烧反应——充满不确定性且成本高昂。尽管全球数十家公司正追逐商用聚变能，但迄今无一成功。

这家初创企业称，开发下一代裂变技术更具可预测性，能更快带来收入，同时可支持推进聚变研究的科研工作。据最早报道此消息的《纽约时报》称，该公司目标是在本世纪30年代初推出可销售的裂变解决方案。

乔哈尔职业生涯始于美国海军核动力部门军官兼工程师，此前在通用原子能公司任职18年，领导核能与国防项目的战略开发。最近，她在专注核电领域的蒙特利尔工程公司AtkinsRéalis任职。公司还任命丹尼尔·沃尔特（比尔·盖茨投资的邻近核能企业泰拉能源前总监）为核工程总监。Zap副总裁马修·汤普森现升任裂变技术高级副总裁，将同时负责两大技术平台。

其他聚变企业同样在拓展收入来源。例如西雅图的雪崩能源公司拥有多个项目，包括紧凑型核电池、太空聚变推进系统及极端环境先进材料研发。但Zap是首个将裂变反应堆开发纳入组合的企业。传统核电因电力需求激增而迎来复兴：美国政府正投资裂变创新并加快行业许可审批，科技公司则资助现有反应堆维持运营，同时押注采用工厂预制部件、更小更便宜且部署更快的初创企业设计。

过去一年，Zap一直在制定核电计划，拟开发与其聚变装置物理尺寸大致相当的微型反应堆。其方案基于实验增殖反应堆-II的技术，该技术在美国国家实验室历经数十年研发测试。东芝曾为其4S（超安全、小型、简单）反应堆采用该技术，但这一项目在后福岛时代反核浪潮中夭折——尽管4S设计与福岛反应堆技术毫无关联。

Zap表示，公司正重振东芝设计方案：该设计包含一座10兆瓦的液态钠冷却微型反应堆，可无需换料运行数十年。该方案的吸引力部分源于Zap的聚变装置使用液态锂，其物理特性与钠相似。"Zap的策略是：一次性构建材料、液态金属系统、高功率密度设计与中子环境等共同技术基础，并将其应用于裂变与聚变领域，"公司称。

这家初创企业坚信，客户对两种核能均有旺盛需求。"满足这种需求需要更简单、更适应性强的系统，以及更快的部署路径，"乔哈尔说，"裂变为我们提供部署路径，聚变则指引变革方向。将二者结合，方能兼得。"

英文来源：

Zap Energy announced plans Wednesday to become the first company to simultaneously pursue two tracks for nuclear power: fusion, an unproven but promising technology that smashes light atoms together to produce energy, and fission, the better-known nuclear pathway that already powers reactors around the globe by splitting heavy atoms.
To support these dual objectives, Zap has named Zabrina Johal as CEO, succeeding company co-founder Benj Conway, who is transitioning to president.
Fusion innovators have typically drawn a bright line between their nuclear solution and conventional fission, given public concerns about past reactor meltdowns and radioactive waste.
But Zap’s leaders say that distinction creates a “false wall” the Everett, Wash., company is ready to knock down.
“Fission and fusion are two expressions of the same underlying physics,” Conway said in a statement. “This isn’t a pivot — by integrating them into a single platform, we can move faster, reduce risk, and build a more enduring company.”
The planet is desperate for new energy sources and many customers and governments are eager for solutions that don’t release carbon and further stoke climate change. Demand is spiking as tech companies rush to erect data centers that support AI even as transportation, housing and industrial sectors electrify their operations.
Zap has been developing its commercial fusion technology since launching nine years ago, building fusion machines and the systems needed to deliver that power to the grid. It has raised more than $330 million from investors and was selected to participate in the Department of Energy’s fusion development program.
But mastering fusion’s physics — essentially recreating the reactions that fuel the sun in an earthbound device — is uncertain and costly. While dozens of companies worldwide are chasing commercially viable fusion energy, none have succeeded so far.
Building next-generation fission technology is more predictable and would provide revenue sooner, the startup said, while simultaneously supporting research that advances its fusion work. The company’s goal is to have a fission solution for sale by the early 2030s, according to the New York Times, which first reported the news.
Johal began her career as an officer and engineer in nuclear propulsion in the U.S. Navy and previously spent 18 years with General Atomics leading strategic development for its nuclear and defense portfolios. Most recently, she was with AtkinsRéalis, a Montreal engineering firm with a nuclear power focus.
The company also named Daniel Walter, a former director at TerraPower — the nearby nuclear company backed by Bill Gates — as director of nuclear engineering. Zap vice president Matthew Thompson is now SVP of fission technology and will work on both tech platforms.
Other fusion companies have similarly pursued additional revenue streams. Seattle’s Avalanche Energy, for example, has multiple initiatives, including work on compact nuclear batteries, fusion propulsion in space applications, and advanced materials for extreme environments.
Zap is the first, however, to add the development of fission reactors to the mix. Traditional nuclear has seen a renaissance driven by the spiking power demand. The U.S. government is investing in fission innovation and expedited permitting for the sector, and tech companies are paying to keep existing reactors online while backing startups pursuing smaller, cheaper and faster-to-deploy designs that use factory fabricated parts.
Zap has been developing its nuclear plan over the past year and is looking to develop microreactors that roughly share the physical dimensions of its planned fusion device.
The company’s approach builds on technology from the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II), developed and tested over decades at U.S. national laboratories. The strategy was later adopted by Toshiba for its 4S (Super-Safe, Small and Simple) reactor, though that project fizzled in the post-Fukushima climate that turned hostile to nuclear power — despite the fact the 4S design itself was unrelated to the Fukushima reactor technology.
Zap said it is now revitalizing the Toshiba design, which includes a 10 megawatt microreactor cooled by liquid sodium that can run for decades without refueling. The approach is attractive in part because Zap’s fusion device uses liquid lithium, which behaves similarly to sodium.
“Zap’s approach is to build common technical foundations — materials, liquid metal systems, high power density design, and neutron environments — once and apply them across both fission and fusion,” the company said.
The startup is confident that customers are hungry for both varieties of nuclear energy.
“Meeting that demand requires simpler, more adaptable systems and a faster path to deployment,” Johal said. “Fission gives us a path to deploy. Fusion gives us a path to transform. Bringing them together is how we do both.”