Tokamak Energy and Furukawa Electric Group to build fusion magnet manufacturing base in Japan

Tokamak Energy and Furukawa Electric Group, Tokyo, Japan announced that they will establish a joint operational base in Japan to manufacture high-temperature superconducting magnets critical for fusion power plants. The facility will support the Fusion Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (FAST) development project, which aims to demonstrate electricity generation from fusion by the 2030s, under a private-sector collaboration led by Starlight Engine Ltd.

The partnership leverages Tokamak Energy’s network of government, commercial, scientific and academic collaborators in Japan alongside Furukawa Electric’s expertise in REBCO-coated HTS tape production through its SuperPower subsidiary. Beyond fusion, the companies plan to explore applications of their HTS magnet technology in sectors such as data-centre cooling, zero-emission electric motors, power generation and propulsion systems for land, air, water and space.

Warrick Matthews, chief executive of Tokamak Energy, explained that scaling up magnet manufacturing will be pivotal to translating the promise of clean, limitless fusion into commercial reality and will unlock new performance levels across multiple industries. Hideya Moridaira, president of Furukawa Electric Group, added that deepening the collaboration reflects Furukawa’s long-standing commitment to superconducting research and its ambition to support energy and healthcare innovations.

The agreement follows a UK-Japan government fusion partnership announced during ministerial talks in London, underscoring both nations’ strategic push for sustainable, safe and abundant fusion energy.

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Solar Atmospheres of Michigan expands thermal processing capabilities with new air tempering and cryogenic systems

Solar Atmospheres, Chesterfield, MI, announced the addition of advanced air tempering and cryogenic equipment to its Michigan facility, marking a significant expansion of its processing capabilities. These upgrades support the company’s commitment to offering high-performance thermal treatments for a broad range of industrial applications.

The newly installed equipment includes a large car-bottom air furnace, manufactured by Heat Treat Equipment Inc., with dimensions of 6’6” wide × 4’ high × 14’ long. It features a 30,000-pound load capacity and maintains temperature uniformity within ±10°F across a range of 300°F to 1400°F, making it well-suited for large and heavy components that demand precise thermal control.

Also added to the facility is a DMP “Cryo/Temper Systems” unit with a 42” wide × 60” deep × 36” high hot/cold zone. The system supports cryogenic treatment and high-temperature tempering in a single integrated solution, with temperature uniformity within ±10°F from -300°F to 1200°F.

Bob Hill, president of Solar Atmospheres of Michigan, stated that the new systems are part of a strategic effort to provide customers with greater processing flexibility and to meet the evolving demands of various industries.

These installations represent the initial phase of a broader expansion within Solar Michigan’s new 50,000-square-foot facility, which currently houses 12 production vacuum furnaces. Additional equipment investments are planned as the company continues to grow its footprint and capabilities.

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These contacts let you see in the dark with your eyes closed

Scientists have developed innovative contact lenses that allow both humans and mice to see infrared light by converting it into visible colors—without the need for bulky equipment or batteries. These transparent lenses enable users to perceive both regular and infrared light simultaneously and can detect multiple infrared wavelengths at once. Remarkably, the lenses perform even better with eyes closed due to infrared light’s superior penetration. In tests, mice avoided infrared light, and humans could interpret flickering codes and light directions, showcasing the lenses’ potential for practical applications.

“Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices to give people super-vision,” says senior author Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China. “There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings.”

The lenses use specially engineered nanoparticles that absorb invisible infrared light and convert it into light our eyes can see, typically in the 400 to 700 nanometer range. More specifically, the technology targets near-infrared light, which lies just beyond human vision, in the 800 to 1600 nanometer range.

In earlier studies, the team showed these particles could give mice infrared vision when injected directly into the eye. This time, they’ve achieved similar results using a much less invasive approach—by building the particles right into soft contact lenses.

To create the contact lenses, the team combined the nanoparticles with flexible, non-toxic polymers that are used in standard soft contact lenses. After showing that the contact lenses were non-toxic, they tested their function in both humans and mice.

They found that contact lens-wearing mice displayed behaviors suggesting that they could see infrared wavelengths. For example, when the mice were given the choice of a dark box and an infrared-illuminated box, contact-wearing mice chose the dark box whereas contact-less mice showed no preference. The mice also showed physiological signals of infrared vision: the pupils of contact-wearing mice constricted in the presence of infrared light, and brain imaging revealed that infrared light caused their visual processing centers to light up.

In humans, the infrared contact lenses enabled participants to accurately detect flashing morse code-like signals and to perceive the direction of incoming infrared light. “It’s totally clear cut: without the contact lenses, the subject cannot see anything, but when they put them on, they can clearly see the flickering of the infrared light,” said Xue.

“We also found that when the subject closes their eyes, they’re even better able to receive this flickering information, because near-infrared light penetrates the eyelid more effectively than visible light, so there is less interference from visible light.”

An additional tweak to the contact lenses allows users to differentiate between different spectra of infrared light by engineering the nanoparticles to color-code different infrared wavelengths. For example, infrared wavelengths of 980 nm were converted to blue light, wavelengths of 808 nm were converted to green light, and wavelengths of 1,532 nm were converted to red light. In addition to enabling wearers to perceive more detail within the infrared spectrum, these color-coding nanoparticles could be modified to help color blind people see wavelengths that they would otherwise be unable to detect.

“By converting red visible light into something like green visible light, this technology could make the invisible visible for color blind people,” says Xue.

Because the contact lenses have limited ability to capture fine details (due to their close proximity to the retina, which causes the converted light particles to scatter), the team also developed a wearable glass system using the same nanoparticle technology, which enabled participants to perceive higher-resolution infrared information.

Currently, the contact lenses are only able to detect infrared radiation projected from an LED light source, but the researchers are working to increase the nanoparticles’ sensitivity so that they can detect lower levels of infrared light.

“In the future, by working together with materials scientists and optical experts, we hope to make a contact lens with more precise spatial resolution and higher sensitivity,” says Xue.

For more information: Cell

$11.5 million sponsorship creates new research institute

Epsilon Group, India, a leading innovator in carbon black and advanced battery materials for electric vehicles and energy storage, is partnering with Tufts University in Massachusetts to launch the Tufts Epsilon Materials Institute-a new research center made possible by an $11.5 million sponsorship and dedicated to advancing materials science and engineering for global energy and sustainability solutions.

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Fujitsu and RIKEN develop world-leading 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer

Fujitsu Limited and RIKEN have developed a cutting-edge 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer at the RIKEN RQC-FUJITSU Collaboration Center, building on the 64-qubit version launched in October 2023 with support from Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). This advancement incorporates high-density implementation techniques, marking a significant step toward practical applications of superconducting quantum computers to address complex global issues. Starting in the first quarter of fiscal 2025, the 256-qubit quantum computer will be integrated into a hybrid quantum computing platform and offered to companies and research institutions worldwide, enabling more complex analyses and sophisticated error correction algorithms.

Moving forward, both organizations will further enhance the platform’s usability by working to enable seamless collaboration between quantum and classical computers, enabling the efficient execution of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms.

Fujitsu and RIKEN’s 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer overcomes some key technical challenges, including appropriate cooling within the dilution refrigerator which is achieved through the incorporation of high-density implementation and cutting-edge thermal design. Other key features include:

1. Scalable 3D connection structure

  • Enables efficient scaling of qubit count without requiring complex redesigns by arranging 4-qubit unit cells in a 3D configuration
  • The 256-qubit machine utilizes the same unit cell design established in its 64-qubit predecessor, effectively demonstrating the scalability of this architectural approach

2. Quadrupled implementation density within dilution refrigerator

  • Quadrupled implementation density achieved within the dilution refrigerator, allowing the 256-qubit machine to operate within the same cooling unit as the 64-qubit system
  • Highly optimized design that carefully balances heat generation from control circuits with the cooling capacity of the refrigerator, while maintaining the necessary ultra-high vacuum and extremely low temperatures

Fujitsu is committed to accelerating the practical application of quantum computers from both hardware and software perspectives. Through its platform for hybrid quantum computing, Fujitsu will provide larger-scale quantum computers to global companies and research institutions conducting joint research in various fields, including finance and drug discovery.

Fujitsu and RIKEN will continue R&D efforts toward the launch of a 1,000-qubit computer, which is scheduled to be installed in a new building at Fujitsu Technology Park in 2026. In addition, the two organizations will extend the installation period of their Collaboration Center from March 2025 to March 2029, and will continue to work on the long-term R&D of technologies that will enable the realization of even larger superconducting quantum computers.

For more information: Fujitsu

Image: Newly developed 256-qubit superconducting quantum computer

Celera samples the first ever Analog IC completely designed by software

Celera, Alameda, Calif., the leader in fully automated, AI-enhanced analog design, is now sampling the first ever analog IC completely designed by an autonomous software platform.
Using Celera’s ChipHUB platform, the company improved engineering productivity by 10x, allowing the design of a high-performance buck (DC-to-DC) converter from specification to manufacturing release in a matter of days.

“This is a major milestone for Celera and an important breakthrough for our customers,” said Pat Brockett, Celera’s CEO. “Celera has demonstrated that end-to-end automated design of high-performance analog ICs can be done.”

“Using our patented digital twin Nesto technology, we enable our customers to achieve full custom analog IC design in days, at a fraction of the of the cost of current design methods,” said Alberto Viviani, Celera’s COO. “It’s very important to note that the resultant product designs are more than competitive with regard to die size (cost) and performance.”

Ramesh Giri, the head of product definition and applications at Celera highlighted a critical benefit to business managers – “Our design flow integrates an auto-generated behavioral model at the front-end that is tuned to actual silicon behavior. This allows system designers to do a comprehensive virtual bench road test, helping to reliably identify real-world system level issues at the front-end of the design process. This eliminates post-silicon fixes and enables faster time to market.”

“This first customer product is a state-of-the-art high voltage step down converter for industrial and automotive applications,” said Calum MacRae, CTO and founder at Celera. “Our Nesto technology simplifies analog IC design, enabling even non-IC designers to generate custom silicon. A huge benefit of our Nesto technology is that the same algorithm can be used to quickly produce whole families of buck converters in hours.”

Calum added, “Our IP is all in digital form. This allows us to train machine learning (ML) models, producing AI agents for analog design, layout, and modeling. The ability to generate large amounts of synthetic data positions Celera as the only company able to apply ML to analog design.”

“Celera’s patented technology will revolutionize the analog IC industry by making analog custom design available to all,” said Pat Brockett. “We are already engaged with major customers designing products for consumer, data center, wireless, industrial, solar and automotive applications. This is a real example where AI is changing a hundred-billion-dollar industry and we are proud to say Celera is leading that change.”

For more information:

Celera

https://www.celeratechnologies.com

 

 

Siemens opens $190M Fort Worth manufacturing hub to support AI infrastructure boom

Siemens, Germany, opened its $190 million electrical equipment manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, Texas. A part of the company’s Smart Infrastructure business, the site is responsible for creating reliable and efficient electrical equipment such as low-voltage switchboards necessary to meet the demand from the booming data center market and America’s AI growth.

The 500,000-square-foot facility has already introduced 480 new jobs and is on track to add a total of 800 roles by 2026. Tapping talent from the education sector to develop the critical manufacturing workforce of tomorrow, previous schoolteachers and principals are critical to Fort Worth facility’s employee training team. Their unique skillset has helped create curriculum that better serves different learning styles with innovative methods for both in and outside the classroom – resulting in quicker turnaround time of new employees from the classroom to the shop floor. Siemens brings new employees from the classroom through to a physical-learning lab before placing them on the production floor.

“Texas is the epicenter of innovation, where businesses and entrepreneurs can cast a vision and know they live in a state where they can achieve it,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “Siemens’ $190 million investment in an electrical equipment manufacturing facility in Fort Worth will create jobs for 800 Texans and help build critical infrastructure to meet Texas’ growing data center demand. Siemens will also provide critical job training to prepare Texans for these in-demand, good-paying jobs. By working together with companies like Siemens, Texas will continue to lead the world in manufacturing and innovation as we build a stronger, more prosperous state.”

Meeting Siemens’ goal to maintain assets that are net-zero carbon in operation by 2030, the Fort Worth facility is carbon-neutral and is setting the standard for sustainable manufacturing. Featuring an all-electrical powder-coat paint line, electric forklifts, low-energy-consuming HVAC systems, photovoltaic streetlights, advanced energy monitoring, and Breakthrough Energy-backed energy-efficient LuxWall windows, the Fort Worth facility is an archetype for the future of manufacturing – lowering cost and energy usage wherever possible.

Showcasing the future of industrial automation, the facility team utilized Siemens’ Digital Industries Software to optimize the production flow. Siemens Technomatix’s 3D models were used to simulate, validate, and commission the production process so the shop floor could be designed for higher production quality.

 

For more information:

Siemens Corporation

https://www.siemens.com/

Chance discovery improves stability of bioelectronic material used in medical implants, computing and biosensors

A chance discovery by scientists from Rice University, University of Cambridge, and Stanford University has streamlined the production of PEDOT:PSS, a material widely used in medical research and computing. For over two decades, a chemical crosslinker was used to stabilize this conductive polymer in water. However, while experimenting with patterning techniques for biomedical optics, Stanford doctoral student Siddharth Doshi, collaborating with Rice’s Scott Keene, found that heating the material at a higher temperature without the crosslinker resulted in a stable sample, eliminating the need for the crosslinker.

“It was more of a serendipitous discovery because Siddharth was trying out processes very different to the standard recipe, but the samples still turned out fine,” Keene said. “We were like, ‘Wait! Really?’ This prompted us to look into why and how this worked.”

What Keene and his team found was that heating PEDOT:PSS beyond the usual threshold not only makes it stable without needing any crosslinker, but it also creates higher quality devices. This method could make bioelectronic devices easier and more reliable to manufacture with potential applications in neural implants, biosensors and next-generation computing systems.

PEDOT:PSS is a blend of two polymers: one that conducts electronic charge and does not dissolve in water and another that conducts ionic charge and is water-soluble. Because it conducts both types of charges, PEDOT:PSS bridges the gap between living tissue and technology.

“It allows you to essentially talk the language of the brain,” said Keene, who researches advanced materials for smaller, high-resolution electrodes capable of both recording and stimulating neural activity with precision.

The human nervous system relies on ions—charged particles like sodium and potassium—to transmit signals, while electronic devices work with electrons. A material that can handle both is crucial for neural implants and other bioelectronic devices that need to translate biological activity into readable data and send signals without damaging sensitive tissue.

In contrast, the higher heat stabilizes PEDOT:PSS by causing a phase change in the material. When heated beyond a certain temperature, the water-insoluble polymer reorganizes internally, pushing the water-soluble components to the surface, where they can be washed away. What remains is a thinner, purer and more stable conducting film.

“This method pretty much simplifies a lot of these problems that people have working with PEDOT:PSS,” Keene said. “It also essentially eliminates a potentially toxic chemical.”

Margaux Forner, a doctoral student at Cambridge who is a first author on the paper along with Doshi, said that heat-treated bioelectronic devices such as transistors, spinal cord stimulators and electrocorticography arrays — implanted grids or strips of neuroelectrodes used to record brain activity — were easier to fabricate, more reliable and equally high performing to those fabricated using the crosslinker.

“The devices made from heat-treated PEDOT:PSS proved to be robust in chronic in vivo experiments, maintaining stability for over 20 days postimplantation,” Forner said. “Notably, the film maintained excellent electrical performance when stretched, highlighting its potential for resilient bioelectronic devices both inside and outside the body.”

The finding may help explain why previous efforts to use PEDOT:PSS in long-term neural implants, including those by Neuralink, ran into stability issues. By making PEDOT:PSS more reliable, this discovery could help advance neurotechnology, including implants to restore movement after spinal cord injuries and interfaces that link the brain to external devices.

Beyond simplifying fabrication, the team found a way to pattern PEDOT:PSS into microscopic 3D structures — a breakthrough that could further improve bioelectronic devices. Using a high-precision femtosecond laser, the researchers can selectively heat sections of the material, creating custom textures that enhance how cells interact with the devices.

By eliminating the crosslinker, the research findings not only streamline the PEDOT:PSS fabrication process but also improve its performance. The new method produces a material with three times higher electrical conductivity and more consistent stability between batches — key advantages for medical applications.

The crosslinker worked by chemically bonding the two types of polymer strands in PEDOT:PSS together, creating an interconnected mesh. However, it still left some of the water-soluble strands exposed — a likely cause for the stability issues. Moreover, the crosslinker introduced variability and potential toxicity in the material.

This technique could be used to design neural interfaces that encourage better integration with surrounding tissue, improving signal quality and longevity.

Keene had also previously researched PEDOT:PSS in the context of neuromorphic memory devices used to accelerate artificial intelligence algorithms. Neuromorphic memory is a type or artificial memory that mimics how the brain retains information.

“It basically emulates the synaptic plasticity of your brain,” Keene said. “We can modify the connection between two terminals by controlling how conductive this material is; this is very similar to how your brain learns by strengthening or weakening synaptic connections between individual neurons.”

By unseating a long-standing assumption, the research not only made PEDOT:PSS easier to work with but also more powerful — a shift that could accelerate the development of safer, more effective neural implants and bioelectronic systems.

For more information: Rice University

Image: Implantable electrocorticography device (left) made using the heat treatment method (Photo courtesy of Margaux Forner); Rice University logo (right) patterned into PEDOT:PSS using a femtosecond laser

Pyromaitre delivers integrated heat-treating solution to GKN driveline Mexico

Pyromaitre, Lévis, Québec, announced the completion of assembly for its P-208E oven system for GKN Driveline Mexico, marking a total of four systems delivered to the client. The company developed a fully integrated solution that includes a high-speed tempering furnace, a post-treatment cooling chamber, automated loading and unloading systems, and a smoke collection unit. Each component was configured to meet the customer’s specific production requirements.

Pyromaitre specializes in resolving convective heat transfer challenges with precision and efficiency. The company focuses on driving innovation and operational performance, aiming to be a recognized leader in stress relief and tempering solutions. Its core values—integrity, innovation, customer satisfaction, and teamwork—guide its approach to delivering high-performance thermal processing systems.

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Confluent Medical Technologies launches ultra polyimide for advanced medical device applications

Confluent Medical Technologies, Scottsdale, AZ, announced the release of Ultra Polyimide, a new high-performance polymer tubing that offers approximately double the strength of conventional polyimide. This innovation is aimed at enabling next-generation medical devices that demand both durability and miniaturization.

Ultra Polyimide addresses the need for thinner-walled tubing that maintains structural integrity, allowing for greater design flexibility and improved device performance. By preserving the inner lumen while reducing material usage, engineers can integrate additional features into delivery devices without compromising mechanical strength.

Jill Ellison, vice president of operations at Confluent’s High Precision Polymer Tubing Center of Excellence, noted that the material enables designers to maintain essential column and tensile strength, which opens up opportunities for innovation in minimally invasive technologies.

The tubing is also manufactured without the use of REACH- or EU MDR-restricted solvents, including NMP (n-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone), a substance identified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as posing health risks in industrial settings. By eliminating NMP from the production process, Confluent supports regulatory compliance and enhances both workplace and patient safety.

Ultra Polyimide is now available with lead times of three to four weeks, offering a timely solution to the evolving needs of the medical device industry.

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One Minute Mentor: Advantages and Limitations of Heat Treatment Simulation

Heat treatment simulation can be a tool for optimization of heat-treatment processes, but at the present this method is still limited. Therefore most HTS is based on rough simplifications of the process. Simplifications can involve the process, number of phases, transformation kinetics, continuums models instead of micro-mechanical models, etc. These simplifications also result in inaccuracies in the calculations.

For more information, click on the link below (subscription required). Then scroll to Figure 16. R Schneider; R. Mesquita; W Schützenhöfer, Distortion in Tool Steels, ASM International, 2014  https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v04d.a0005980

ECM establishes new vacuum furnace entity in mexico under MEXVAC ECM name

ECM USA, Pleasant Prairie, WI, announced the official launch of its new Mexican subsidiary, ECM Mexico, operating as MEXVAC ECM, S.A. DE C.V. This development marks a significant step in expanding ECM’s presence and service capabilities within the Mexican heat treatment industry.

The ECM Mexico team is led by operations manager Juan Cruz and field service and PLC engineer José López, under the direction of Pierre-Loic Rousset and Dennis Beauchesne. The team will work closely with ECM USA to provide localized support, reflecting ECM’s long-term commitment to strengthening service infrastructure for customers across Mexico.

The new entity will serve as a dedicated supplier of vacuum furnace technologies and support services, aiming to meet growing demand in the region for high-performance thermal processing equipment.

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Bodycote joins energy industries council to expand engagement with global energy sector

Bodycote, Macclesfield, UK, announced its membership with the Energy Industries Council (EIC), a leading global trade association for the energy sector. This move strengthens Bodycote’s strategic alignment with the evolving needs of the industry and reinforces its role as a provider of heat treatment and specialist thermal processing services across power generation and energy infrastructure markets.

Through its membership, Bodycote gains broader access to key industry stakeholders, enabling stronger supply chain collaboration and the pursuit of new business opportunities within the energy sector. The company serves a wide range of EIC members, fostering synergies that support innovation and operational excellence.

Bodycote’s engagement with the EIC supports its commitment to sustainability, particularly in nuclear and renewable energy markets. The partnership enhances customer access to Bodycote’s services via EIC platforms and events, further promoting solutions that improve performance, efficiency, and reliability in critical energy applications.

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