Products, Not Power
Hyperion is judged by what it makes, not by net electricity; the breeder needs fusion gain, not net-electric output, to deliver its products.
A different success criterion
Most fusion programs are judged by whether they can put net electricity on a grid. Hyperion is not. Its success criterion is production of tritium, helium-3, and 14 MeV neutrons — outputs that require fusion gain and a strong neutron source, but not net-electric output.
This distinction is fundamental. Net electricity requires that gross electrical output exceed all recirculating power for magnets, heating, cryogenics, and balance of plant — a harder threshold than scientific gain. Hyperion at Q_sci 3.076 and 85.0 MW makes the neutrons that drive its products without needing to cross the net-electric line. The neutron flux is the product.
Why this framing is honest
- Q_sci 3.076 is a gain figure, not a net-electric claim
- No net-gain or net-power claim is made before FOAK
- The machine is sized to a supply requirement, not a MW target
- Value is delivered as material and services, measured by assay
The relationship to the burner
Net-electric output is the burner's (Aegis / MetroVolt) objective, pursued through direct energy conversion and gated on its own separate physics. The breeder deliberately does not depend on that harder demonstration. Keeping the two roles distinct is what lets the breeder deliver products first while the burner physics mature. This is a design-and-simulation study; construction begins Q2 2027.
This page describes a design-and-simulation study, not a built machine. Construction begins Q2 2027; first-of-a-kind (FOAK) first tritium is targeted near 2030. No net-gain claim is made before FOAK.