REBCO HTS Tape Manufacturing by Fujikura Ltd.: status and timeline

REBCO HTS Tape Manufacturing

Supply high-performance HTS tape at scale for next-generation fusion reactors, enabling compact magnet designs that make commercial fusion economically viable.

ScalingStage 5 of 5

Producing HTS tape; expanding capacity for Commonwealth Fusion Systems.

Updated 11d agoChecked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Capacity expansion investment announced

IBAD/PLD manufacturing processes developed2005Complete.
World-leading position established2010Complete.
Long-term supply agreements with research institutions established2020Complete.
Commonwealth Fusion Systems supply agreement signed30 Sep 2026Complete.
Capacity expansion investment announcedTarget Q4 2026Current milestone.
HTS tape deliveries to Commonwealth Fusion beginTarget 2027Not yet reached.
Fall Line Fusion Power Station grid connection targetedTarget 2030Not yet reached.

Most important updates

Upcoming

Q4 2026Capacity expansion investment announced (next)
2027HTS tape deliveries to Commonwealth Fusion begin
2030Fall Line Fusion Power Station grid connection targeted
2030ARC power plants operating at full scale

Current obstacles

Cost per kilometerHTS tape manufacturing is expensive. Mass production for power transmission needs 5-10x cost reduction.
Joint reliability in thermal cyclesTape must survive extreme magnetic fields and thermal cycling. Splice engineering and stress testing are ongoing.

Physics limits

Rare-earth element supplyREBCO requires yttrium and dysprosium with limited global supply. Recycling and substitution are complex.
Cooling above 65KHTS requires liquid nitrogen instead of helium; cheaper but adds cost. Room-temperature superconductors remain theoretical.

How it works

4 parts

IBAD

Ion beam preps substrate

Ion beam improves crystal alignment on textured metal substrate, creating smooth foundation.

PLD

Laser deposits REBCO layer

Pulsed laser ablates REBCO target, depositing oriented superconducting film with strong alignment.

Stabilizer

Copper provides thermal protection

Copper layer stabilizes and protects superconductor. Additional layers resist mechanical damage.

Magnet Coils

Wound into tokamak coils

HTS tape wound into coils produces fields >20 Tesla to confine plasma at 100M Kelvin.

Spec sheet

Spec	REBCO HTS Tape Manufacturing
Superconducting transition temperature	65+ K^R (reported)
Commonwealth Fusion Systems tape order	>10,000 km^R (reported)
Tape in SPARC tokamak	~1.5 GA-m (approximately half of CFS order)^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Update log

2 updates

Wed 30 Sep

Major: Commonwealth Fusion Systems orders 10,000+ km of Fujikura HTS tape, the largest single order everPressCommercial

2020

Major: Fujikura establishes long-term HTS tape supply agreements with research institutionsPressCommercial

About Fujikura Ltd.

The team behind REBCO HTS Tape Manufacturing

Fujikura Ltd.

HTS superconducting tape, electrical equipment, telecommunications

Japanese technology manufacturer founded 1885. World leader in high-temperature superconducting tape for fusion magnets, using proprietary IBAD and PLD manufacturing.

Traded on Tokyo Stock Exchange (TYO: 5803), Nikkei 225 component; global operations.
20-year leader in HTS tape using proprietary IBAD and PLD manufacturing techniques.
September 2026: Commonwealth Fusion placed record 10,000+ km HTS tape supply agreement; deliveries begin 2027-2028.

fujikura.co.jp (opens fujikura.co.jp)Company profile →

Founded: 1885141 yrs
Headquarters: Japan
Status: Public
Valuation: public
Staff: ~53,717Jan 2021
Works in: MaterialsAlloys & superconductorsEnergy
Coverage: 1 program · 2 updateslatest 11d agochecked 11 Oct
Customers: Commonwealth Fusion Systems (opens cfs.energy)

Spec

REBCO HTS Tape Manufacturing

Superconducting transition temperature

65+ K^R (reported)

Commonwealth Fusion Systems tape order

>10,000 km^R (reported)

Tape in SPARC tokamak

~1.5 GA-m (approximately half of CFS order)^R (reported)