Actually some companies that got hundreds of millions of funding are pitching commercial viability this decade. That's the reason these investments are happening. The breakthrough is basically that funding is now happening because the technology has progressed enough for investors to be willing to start taking that risk. They wouldn't do that on a 30 year plan.

The fallacy is believing that because it has historically been so far away that is still that far away.

E.g. Helion, a y combinator backed company (our beloved HN overlords), just raised half a billion from investors for a series E round that include Peter Thiel and a few others with well earned reputations for making lucrative investments. I think there's a good chance that we'll have operational fusion plants next decade already. It's not money in the bank yet but clearly enough of a chance for the likes of Peter Thiel to commit some serious money to this.

Helion is pitching 1 cent per khw. That completely kills the business case for new nuclear plants. The payoff on those investments is going to be insanely good if this works as advertised.