Helical Fusion Co., Ltd., a world-leading developer of the Helical Stellarator, has completed a critical performance test of a high-temperature superconducting (HTS) coil—a core component of commercial fusion reactors. The company has now commenced manufacturing and construction of its integrated demonstration device, Helix HARUKA.
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Helical Fusion members celebrating the successful HTS test with an “HTS Graduation!” sign and graduation caps
Watch the key points of this release in a 2-minute video: https://youtu.be/UhgQHfKtvow
Helical Fusion is the only company in the world building upon expertise in the Helical Stellarator approach, accumulated for more than 60 years at national institutes and national universities, which has been proven to possess the optimal characteristics for commercial power generation. As the sole inheritor of this knowledge from the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS), Helical Fusion is driving the Helix Program to realize the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant using the Helical Stellarator.
Under the Helix Program, the company aims to complete performance tests of its two key technologies—HTS magnets and the integrated blanket/divertor system—by the end of the 2020s. By the 2030s, Helical Fusion plans to achieve full system integration through Helix HARUKA and begin steady-state power generation with its fusion pilot plant, Helix KANATA.
About the Performance Test
Significance
This milestone marks the world's first successful demonstration of an HTS coil constructed with a fully-functional large-scale conductor:
- The coil is based on a conductor cable designed for commercial fusion power plants' scale use 1
- The test replicated the magnetic environment inside a fusion device 2, including both self-generated and external magnetic fields
- Successfully conducted a current test under superconducting conditions
Using NIFS’s unique large-diameter, high-field testing facility, the conductor achieved stable superconducting current flow at 40 kA under a 7-tesla external magnetic field at 15 K (-258°C).
This result establishes Helical Fusion as one of the world’s leading contenders in the race toward commercial fusion energy and meets the technical threshold required to advance to the integrated demonstration device, Helix HARUKA.
Strong Collaboration with the National Laboratory and the Government
Since its founding in 2021, Helical Fusion has worked closely with NIFS through multiple joint research initiatives. In March 2024, a dedicated joint research team and lab space were established at NIFS to accelerate the development of HTS magnets and blanket/divertor systems - a model of Japan’s public-private partnership in fusion innovation.
The company’s progress is supported by Japan’s SBIR Phase 3 program, the first national grant scheme dedicated to fusion energy under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). The establishment of this program was strongly initiated by Ms. Sanae Takaichi, the current Prime Minister of Japan, during her tenure as Minister for the Cabinet Office, where she championed the inclusion of fusion energy as a national strategic priority. Helical Fusion received the program’s largest amount, JPY 2 billion (≒USD 13 million).
Importance of HTS Magnet Development
Fusion reactors require magnetic fields strong enough to confine plasma exceeding 100 million degrees Celsius. For commercial plants, these fields must be generated efficiently and compactly — a challenge that makes HTS technology indispensable.
While many companies produce HTS materials, only a few possess the capability to design and engineer full-scale superconducting systems for real reactor environments. Helical Fusion’s success demonstrates its technical leadership in this domain.
About the Helix Program
The Helix Program targets the launch of the world’s first commercially viable fusion power plant in the 2030s through its Fusion Pilot Plant, Helix KANATA. The program defines three essential requirements for commercially viable fusion power:
- Steady-state operation: 24/7/365 stable performance
- Net electricity output: generating more energy than it consumes
- Maintainability: regular, efficient component maintenance
Out of more than 50 fusion development projects worldwide—spanning tokamak and laser-based approaches—the Helical Stellarator is uniquely capable of meeting all three criteria with existing technologies. The Helix Program aims to be the world’s first initiative to realize all of these requirements by the 2030s.
Powered by a strong partnership with NIFS and supported by Japan's world-class manufacturing industry, Helical Fusion is committed to leading the global fusion energy sector—a market expected to reach trillions of dollars in scale in the coming decades.
Comment from Co-Founder, CEO Takaya Taguchi
This achievement is undoubtedly a remarkable laboratory milestone born from Japan’s strong collaboration between industry, government, and academia.
Yet, more importantly, it marks a global turning point — a moment when everyone pursuing or believing in commercial fusion must recognize Helical Fusion as one of the most promising contenders for realization.
I am immensely proud of our joint team with the National Institute for Fusion Science (NIFS) — the giant of fusion research from which our company originated — and deeply grateful to our Japanese manufacturing partners whose craftsmanship made this success possible.
As we move forward to the next stage, we invite the world to watch closely and share in the excitement of what comes next.
Comment from Co-Founder, CTO Junichi Miyazawa
The development of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets marks a powerful shift from laboratory research to real-world implementation.
Over years of dedicated work, the global fusion community has advanced material and magnet technologies that did not even exist when I began our research — technologies that now give us strong confidence in achieving commercial fusion power.
This successful test is the culmination of many years of development and close collaboration with partners across academia and industry. We will channel our deepest gratitude into the continued progress of Helix HARUKA and Helix KANATA.
About Helical Fusion Co., Ltd.
Helical Fusion is a Japan-based startup developing the world’s first commercially viable net power fusion plant, leveraging the expertise of the Helical Stellarator and inheriting more than 60 years of national fusion research.
Helical Fusion has raised JPY 5.2 billion (≈USD 34 million) to date and targets commercial operation in the 2030s under its “Helix Program”.
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1 This coil is made using advanced high-temperature superconducting (HTS) technology, and it was constructed without electrical insulation. Among all HTS coil technologies, this marks the world’s first successful test of uninsulated a large-scale HTS conductor-based coil. |
| 2 “the magnetic environment inside a fusion device” refers to a setting in which external magnetic fields—separate from those generated by the coil itself—are present, creating complex electromagnetic interactions between multiple currents through the magnetic field. In future fusion power plants, such environments are expected to include intense radiation, neutron flux, and even stronger magnetic fields. |
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