Germany's premier fusion research organization, operating the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak in Garching and the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator in Greifswald — the world's largest optimized stellarator.
The Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) is one of the largest fusion research centers in Europe, with twin campuses in Garching bei München (Bavaria) and Greifswald (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). Founded in 1960 as an institute of the Max Planck Society, IPP conducts research on the physics and technology required to harness fusion energy, with a distinctive dual-concept strategy that advances both tokamak and stellarator science in parallel.1
The Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment Upgrade (ASDEX Upgrade), operational since 1991, is a medium-sized tokamak that has served as one of Europe's principal test beds for ITER-relevant plasma scenarios. ASDEX Upgrade pioneered the study of the high-confinement mode (H-mode) — first discovered on its predecessor ASDEX in 1982 by Friedrich Wagner — which became the reference operating regime for ITER.3
The machine's tungsten-clad first wall, installed progressively from 1999 to 2007, made it the first tokamak to operate entirely with tungsten plasma-facing components, providing critical data for ITER's divertor design. ASDEX Upgrade continues to explore advanced divertor concepts, disruption mitigation, and real-time plasma control techniques essential for next-step devices.
Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), which produced its first plasma in December 2015, is the world's largest and most sophisticated stellarator. Designed over two decades using advanced computational optimization, W7-X aims to demonstrate that stellarators can confine plasma as effectively as tokamaks while offering intrinsic advantages: steady-state operation without the need for a plasma current, and freedom from disruptions.4
The device's 50 non-planar superconducting coils, each precisely shaped to a different geometry, create a magnetic field optimized for low neoclassical transport. In successive experimental campaigns, W7-X has achieved plasma energies exceeding 1 megajoule, sustained discharges of up to eight minutes, and demonstrated record stellarator performance metrics — validating the optimization principles that guided its design.
IPP is a major contributor to the ITER project and to the European fusion program through EUROfusion. Its theory and simulation divisions have developed widely used plasma transport codes, and its materials research program investigates plasma-wall interaction phenomena relevant to all magnetic confinement devices. IPP also operates a technology division working on superconducting magnet systems, plasma heating, and plasma diagnostics.
By pursuing both the tokamak and stellarator paths, IPP hedges the global fusion portfolio. The H-mode discovery and the stellarator optimization program each represent transformative contributions to fusion science, and the institute's dual-device expertise positions it uniquely for the design of future power plants.