Faraday Factory Japan helps accelerate green transitions with high quality HTS tapes for zero carbon technology.
As green transitions gather, research and development in the nuclear energy sector continues to increase, leading to a continuous increase in demand for reliable and efficient materials for use in nuclear and green technologies.
Innovating to meet this demand, Faraday Factory Japan is committed to researching, developing and distributing high-temperature superconducting (HTS) tapes for use in zero carbon technology. The Innovation Platform spoke to Sergei, CEO of Faraday Factory Japan, to find out more about the company’s origins and how it evolved today.
Can you explain in detail the background behind your company and your products?
Faraday Factory Japan was founded in 2011 as a startup focusing on the manufacture of second generation high-temperature superconducting (2G HTS) wires. The board’s key members are shareholders too, and most of us have known each other for decades. We began our academic journey when high-temperature superconductors were discovered and gained extensive experience from renowned institutions around the world. Our business activities were supported by Andrei Vabilov, a lead investor who played a key role in the establishment of the company.
Over the past 14 years, Faraday Factory Japan has achieved incredible growth and has evolved into a global leader in 2G HTS wire production. Opening around the clock, we consistently meet growing demand, with production volumes and product specifications exceeding the demand of our competitors.
Decisions based on Japanese companies were extremely important. It was created on March 11, 2011, just a few hours before the devastating earthquake and tsunami that led to the nuclear disaster in Fukushima. Reflecting this timing, it seems like a coincidence. It feels like the destiny that will guide us towards contributing to clean energy solutions.
How are superconducting tapes developed?
2G HTS tapes have been developed over the past 30 years and are one of the most complex objects in materials science and engineering. Generally, these tapes contain long (for hundreds of meters), thin (for tens of microns), and brittle ceramic film.
Structurally, 2G HTS tapes are usually built on flexible metal substrates made of nickel-based alloys such as Hastelloy, or less common stainless steel. Multiple oxide buffer layers, each of which are several to tens of nanometers thick, are deposited on this substrate. These layers provide the required crystallographic texture and lattice matching required for subsequent epitaxial growth of the superconducting layer.
Typically, a superconducting layer, which is several microns thick, is made up of many highly anisotropic particles that need to be perfectly aligned in any crystallographic direction to ensure efficient supercurrent flow of millions of amps per millions of amperes. Even the slightest impurities at grain boundaries can significantly hinder performance. Interestingly, perfect particle boundary connections are essential for supercurrent transfer, but high density of nanoscale defects is also required to maintain performance in a strong magnetic field. These defects act as pinning centers and secure superconducting vortices to maintain current under high altitude conditions.
What makes your company and products different?
A variety of thin film deposition techniques, both chemical and physical, are used to manufacture these multilayers, usually in a continuous roll-to-roll production mode. The long-term stability and accuracy of these processes is absolutely important. Defects introduced in one stage will propagate through subsequent layers and will inevitably appear in the final product test. With this highly integrated system, there is no way to “fix” the problem if it occurs. Every step must be perfect.
Faraday Factory Japan has developed and implemented Fast Ion Beam Auxiliary Deposition (IBAD) as a key process for fabricating fast magnesium oxide (MGO-based) buffer layers. Our production equipment is uniquely designed and custom built in collaboration with specialized equipment manufacturers. Our team’s creativity and 35 years of experience and continuous feedback from our production line and R&D department to equipment manufacturers allowed us to create a new generation of production equipment.
Operating 24/7, we have achieved mass production of thousands of kilometers of superconducting tape, providing a unique experience, enabling us to establish reliable work regulations and protocols for the high yield production of these complex materials. There is no other company in the world that has accumulated such production statistics and practical experience.
Are you highlighting some of your major achievements?
Japan at the Faraday Factory has achieved several important milestones.
World’s largest production of 2G HTS wires: We have established the world’s largest production facility for second generation high temperature superconducting (2G HTS) wires, operating 24/7. Product Customization: Provides highly customized products for a variety of applications with wide temperature (77-4K) and magnetic field range (up to 40T). Consistent Profitability: Over the past seven years, we have been the only company in this sector that generates annual net profits, regardless of production growth from dozens to thousands of kilometres. Multinational Teams: A diverse team representing over 20 nationalities contributes to these achievements. Cultivates an inclusive culture that promotes continuous learning and innovation. Participation in the National R&D Program: We are actively involved in national research and development programs supported by organizations such as NEDO (METI) and JST (MEXT) along with our commercial activities.
How do you support your journey towards commercialization of fusion?
Superconducting magnets are essential for magnetic confinement of hot plasma in fusion reactors. Advances in new compact fusion reactors rely heavily on magnets constructed with second generation high temperature superconductors (2G HTS) that can generate magnetic fields above 20 Teslas, particularly at temperatures well above the boiling point of liquid helium (EA, 20K).
Faraday Factory Japan is recognized as a global leader in the production and supply of 2G HTS wires for compact fusion applications. As of April 2025, the company achieved a significant milestone by delivering over 7,000km of high temperature superconducting tapes to various fusion projects around the world. These delivery support the design of a variety of fusion reactors, including tokamaks, stellarators, levitation dipole, and magnetic mirrors.
The quality and reliability of Faraday Factory’s HTS wires has been verified successfully with the integration into several fusion reactor prototypes. In particular, the superconductors produced by the Faraday Factory helped to achieve the first plasma in the oxidation-resistant dipole fusion prototype, indicating an important role in advances in fusion energy technology.
What’s next for your company?
Going forward, we are working to expand our production to meet the growing demand for 2G HTS wires. In April 2024, Faraday Factory expanded its production capacity by opening a new three-storey factory in Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture. The facility will enhance the company’s ability to meet the growing demand for high-performance superconducting materials, essential for sustainable and efficient fusion power generation.
We expect demand from the combined company to dominate the 2G HTS market over the next decade and serve as a key growth driver. Beyond fusion, we are actively promoting our products in other sectors. In particular, the cable industry is showing growing interest as superconducting wires provide solutions to the expected copper shortage in electrical cable manufacturing. Rapid transportation also presents a promising market. Superconductivity in Maglev trains and electric planes is moving from conceptual design to practical applications, with 2G HTS technology expected to play a pivotal role in commercial implementation within the next decade.
Our goal is to make 2G HTS available at an affordable price. It enables transformative projects in a variety of industries. High temperature superconducting wires have no viable alternatives for future development of human society.
This article will also be featured in the 22nd edition of Quarterly Publication.
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