Devens, Mass. and Tokyo – September 30, 2026 -- Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) has agreed to purchase more than 10,000 km (3 GA-m) of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tape from Japan's Fujikura Ltd., in what the companies describe as the largest supply agreement of its kind for HTS tape.
Fujikura expands capacity to supply CFS' ARC fusion power plants
Under the long-term agreement, Fujikura is investing to expand its manufacturing capacity to deliver the HTS tape volume needed for CFS' ARC power plant rollout. The material will first be used at the Fall Line Fusion Power Station, CFS' planned grid-scale plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia.
Deal ties HTS supply chain to CFS' SPARC machine timeline
CFS CEO and co-founder Bob Mumgaard said the Fujikura partnership reflects the company's move to place orders and prepare execution of ARC ahead of its SPARC fusion machine reaching Q>1, the point at which the reactor produces more energy than it consumes. HTS tape is a core input for the high-field superconducting magnets that confine plasma at temperatures near 100 million degrees Celsius inside tokamak-based fusion reactors.
Fujikura positions HTS tape as a platform business through the 2030s
Fujikura Representative Director, President and CEO Naoki Okada said the agreement builds the company's role as a key HTS tape supplier for ARC plants while establishing a long-term business platform for the 2030s and beyond, when commercial fusion power plants are expected to begin operation. Fujikura has already supplied HTS tape for CFS' research and development work.
Stronger magnets could cut capital costs for compact fusion reactors
Fujikura's HTS tape is manufactured using its proprietary Ion Beam Assisted Deposition (IBAD) process, developed in 1991, which allows the material to carry high current with zero electrical resistance at liquid-nitrogen temperature (-196°C) even under strong magnetic fields. Enabling stronger magnetic fields allows fusion power plants to be built more compactly, a factor expected to reduce capital costs and ease construction of commercial fusion plants.
CFS has raised $4 billion in capital since its founding in 2018. The agreement marks a step in U.S.-Japan industrial collaboration on the supply chain required to bring commercial fusion power to market.