Memorandum of Understanding Proxima Fusion and Fujikura Join Forces

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Proxima Fusion and Fujikura join forces to advance industrial-scale HTS manufacturing in Germany.

Proxima Fusion and Fujikura, a global leader in high-temperature superconductors (HTS)¹, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together to advance plans for industrial-scale HTS tape manufacturing in Germany. The collaboration brings together Fujikura’s manufacturing expertise and the substantial demand anticipated from Proxima’s stellarator program, with the shared ambition of establishing a critical fusion supply chain in Europe. As a first step, the partners will evaluate the technical, commercial and economic requirements for establishing production.

The MOU was signed in Tokyo [on the occasion of the visit of Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Japan] by Naoki Okada, President and CEO, Fujikura Ltd and Dr. Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of Proxima Fusion.

Under this MOU, Proxima Fusion and Fujikura will accelerate their joint assessment of how they can contribute to the development of a European HTS tape supply chain in Lower Saxony, Germany.

HTS tape is the key material for compact, high-field fusion magnets for stellarators. Proxima anticipates requiring approximately 20,000 kilometers of HTS tape for its Alpha demonstrator and around 40,000 kilometers for each planned Stellaris power plant.

As fusion moves toward commercialisation, growing demand for high-performance HTS tape will require expanded production capacity and resilient supply chains across multiple regions. Visibility into long-term demand helps manufacturers plan investment, scale production and reduce costs. The collaboration will also deepen industrial cooperation between Japan and Germany.

Europe hosts some of the world's most advanced fusion devices, including Wendelstein 7-X in Germany, JET in the United Kingdom, and ITER in France, along with a strong industrial supply chain behind them. Establishing production in Germany would help Europe build out the expertise and supply chains needed to turn its fusion research leadership into industrial capability.

Europe’s fusion ambitions depend on industrial capabilities we need to build today. A fusion power plant's supply chain has to be ready years before the plant itself. That is why we are working on HTS tape now, for our Alpha net-energy gain stellarator as well as for the first stellarator-based fusion power plant, Stellaris. Fujikura is a clear leader in the manufacturing of high-temperature superconductors, and we are proud to be working with them to build this capability in Germany. This is how Europe builds its fusion supply chain: by connecting long-term demand with world-class manufacturing expertise," said Dr. Francesco Sciortino, CEO and co-founder of Proxima Fusion.

“For many years, Fujikura has advanced the research, development and manufacturing technology of HTS tape and supplied products that support fusion energy development around the world. The deployment of fusion energy will require an industrial foundation capable of supplying high-performance HTS tape reliably and at scale. Through this MOU, we will apply Fujikura’s accumulated HTS technology and manufacturing expertise to assess the feasibility of establishing a supply platform in Germany and across Europe. By working together, we aim to contribute to the practical deployment of fusion energy and the realisation of a sustainable energy future,” said Naoki Okada, President and CEO, Fujikura Ltd.

For Fujikura, the collaboration provides an opportunity to assess the feasibility of a potential European supply and manufacturing platform for its HTS business. Proxima's stellarator program offers the long-term, high-volume demand that industrial-scale tape production needs, with a clear roadmap to bringing fusion to the grid in Europe. Founded in 1885, Fujikura has a track record of investing early in technologies before they become industry standards, for example when it comes to optical fibres. With its current Fourth Founding strategy centred on connectivity, the company sees HTS not only as one of the technologies that will define its future, but also as a technology that will shape how the world moves and generates energy.

¹ High-temperature superconductors (HTS) Superconductors conduct electricity with zero resistance below a certain temperature. HTS reach this state at comparatively higher temperatures than conventional superconductors and maintain high performance in very strong magnetic fields. This makes them essential for compact fusion magnets.