Proxima Fusion Invests €140M in Superconducting Tape Factory to Reduce Asian Supply Dependence
The German fusion startup is building its own manufacturing facility for high-temperature superconducting tape, a critical component for its reactor design that has been dominated by Asian producers.
Proxima Fusion is placing a major bet on securing its own supply of superconducting tape, a crucial material for its fusion reactor technology. The company announced plans Wednesday to construct a €140 million ($162.6 million) manufacturing facility dedicated to producing fusion-grade high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape, which serves as a key building block in the startup's reactor architecture.
This facility investment follows Proxima's recent €411 million funding round, which elevated the company among the most well-capitalized fusion ventures globally. The Germany-based firm intends to finance the factory through a combination of public and private capital sources, with the Lower Saxony state government contributing €21 million toward the project.
HTS tape functions as the mechanism through which Proxima generates the intense magnetic fields necessary to confine plasma during fusion reactions. The company's prototype facility will require 20,000 kilometers of HTS tape, while a full-scale commercial plant would demand double that quantity. Currently, China and Japan control the overwhelming share of global HTS tape manufacturing.
The emergence of HTS tape roughly twelve years ago represented a pivotal technological advance that unlocked the potential for today's wave of fusion startups. Its capacity to produce strong magnetic fields at comparatively elevated temperatures has made possible more compact and higher-performing reactor configurations.
Beyond fusion applications, the material is attracting interest from other sectors seeking performance improvements. Companies including Veir are exploring HTS tape to enhance data center efficiency and power density.
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