[theptip]

This seems like spurious reasoning. It’s like saying “rockets are 1950s technology therefore SpaceX is going to fail”.

Commonwealth are using cutting-edge high-temp superconductors which can generate much stronger fields:

https://cfs.energy/

The idea is old, the tech is new.

[smaddox]

If tokomaks worked as well as Rockets, then I would agree. But the age of a technology does become relevant when you're discussing the history and development trajectory. The trajectory for FRC's looks far more promising. Direct electric conversion reduces the required efficiency by ~2x and the use of a low-neutron emissions fuel dramatically reduces shielding complexity and maintenance costs. And FRC requires much smaller reactors to reach net positive energy. Even considering high-temperature superconducting tokomaks, FRC's appear far more promising.