Oxford Sigma joined industry leaders, technology developers and defence stakeholders at the inaugural FusionX:Defence event at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, exploring how technologies emerging from the fusion sector can support future defence and national security capabilities.
As part of the programme, Dr Thomas Davis, CEO and Co-Founder of Oxford Sigma, delivered a presentation examining the role of advanced materials in enabling next-generation defence systems. Drawing on Oxford Sigma’s experience across fusion, nuclear and defence sectors, the session explored applications including hypersonics, directed-energy systems, radiation resilience and thermal management, where performance is often dictated by material capability.
While fusion is often viewed through the lens of future energy generation, many of the underlying engineering challenges already exist in defence today. Extreme temperatures, severe heat fluxes, radiation exposure and demanding operating environments require materials that can deliver reliable performance where conventional solutions reach their limits.
“Fusion and defence are often seen as separate sectors, but they are increasingly confronting the same engineering challenges. Whether you’re developing a fusion power plant, or a hypersonic system, success ultimately depends on materials that can survive and perform in extreme environments. That’s where we see a significant opportunity to transfer knowledge, accelerate innovation and build capability across both sectors.”
Dr Thomas Daivs, Co-founder and CEO, Oxford Sigma
The presentation highlighted how expertise developed for fusion power plants can provide immediate value across defence applications. Drawing on examples including advanced tungsten materials, radiation-resistant material systems and qualification methodologies, Oxford Sigma demonstrated how innovations developed for future fusion systems can help accelerate the deployment of next-generation defence technologies.
For Oxford Sigma, the opportunity extends beyond developing new materials. Success depends on understanding, qualifying and deploying them with confidence. As both the fusion and defence sectors push into increasingly demanding environments, robust materials solutions, supported by proven qualification approaches, will be critical to delivering future capability. Through its work at the intersection of fusion, nuclear and defence, Oxford Sigma is helping translate advanced materials innovation into deployable solutions for critical national infrastructure and security applications.
About Oxford Sigma
Oxford Sigma is a Fusion Technology company with a vision to tackle energy security and climate change by accelerating the commercialisation of fusion energy. Our mission is to deliver materials technology, materials solutions, and fusion design services. Oxford Sigma aims to produce advanced materials technologies, agnostic to fusion approach, for the materials ecosystem. Our fusion core materials are engineered to enable longer term operations for fusion pilot plants, with the aim of roll out to the first-of-a-kind commercial power stations. Oxford Sigma is internationally recognised as a key fusion materials and technological leader.
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