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đŸŽ„ Plasma Beyond Fusion: Powering Next Gen Semiconductor Manufacturing & Materials
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Kira Colburn
Kira Colburn
April 29, 2026

At our latest SOSV Deep Tech Live, we sat down with a panel of world leaders in plasma to explore ​how plasma is quickly becoming one of the most important
and misunderstood..forces shaping the future of semiconductors, clean manufacturing, advanced materials, and of course, clean energy.

While much of today’s AI conversation centers on LLMs that help us write and design, the truly transformative frontier is Physical AI. To bring intelligence into the physical world, we require a new generation of semiconductors – the “picks and shovels” that provide the necessary compute power and advanced sensing without draining the world’s energy reserves. This is where plasma technology becomes indispensable. As a primary tool for semiconductor fabrication, plasma allows us to manipulate materials at an atomic level, creating the high-performance chips that Physical AI demands.

However, this relationship has created a challenging cycle: AI needs better chips
better chips need better plasma chemistry
better plasma chemistry needs better AI.

Today, the “experimental space” for plasma chemistry is nearly infinite and incredibly complex, rendering traditional wet chemistry and trial-and-error methods no longer sufficient. Now, its critical to leverage ML and AI-driven modeling to navigate this complexity with high precision, discovering “impossible” materials and optimizing multi-phase plasma environments in ways that were previously unimaginable. This synergy is what will define the future of high-performance compute.

How Can Deep Tech Startups Win in an Industry Defined by Massive Capital Costs & High Risk? Enter The HAX Plasma Forge.

There is a notorious Valley of Death where breakthrough research often stalls before reaching the market. To overcome this – and to bring a secure supply chain back to the U.S. – we cannot simply copy existing manufacturing models. We must leapfrog the competition through a radical merger of fundamental research, applied science, and early-stage funding.

This is why we are launching HAX Plasma Forge, a 10,000-square-foot lab and co-working space in Princeton, NJ, designed to help founders commercialize plasma-based breakthroughs. The HAX Plasma Forge combines: SOSV’s proven model for startup commercialization, world-class plasma physics expertise and resources from PPPL, and $51 million in dedicated funding from SOSV, the New Jersey Economic Development (NJEDA), and PPPL to make it all possible. Apply to the HAX Plasma Forge today.

đŸŽ„ Find the live recording below as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.

📍Broadcast live from our SOSV NY event space in Manhattan, SOSV Deep Tech LIVE is our monthly video podcast series exploring the frontiers of deep tech with leading founders, researchers, and technologists. Check out some more topics on plasma, fusion, and the future of energy:

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