A Munich-based stellarator startup spun out of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, applying computational optimization and HTS magnets to advance the stellarator concept toward a commercial power plant.
Proxima Fusion was founded in 2023 by a team of scientists and engineers from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Garching, Germany — the institution that built and operates the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator, the world's most advanced device of its type. The company's founding thesis is that the stellarator concept, long regarded as scientifically elegant but engineeringly daunting, has reached a tipping point thanks to advances in computational optimization, HTS magnet technology, and the operational results from W7-X.1
Proxima aims to build on the physics validation provided by W7-X while dramatically compressing the path to a commercial reactor through modern engineering tools and private-sector speed.
Stellarators confine plasma using exclusively external magnetic fields shaped by complexly wound coils, eliminating the need for the large plasma current that drives tokamak operation. This architecture offers inherent advantages in steady-state operation and disruption avoidance, but historically demanded coil geometries so intricate that construction was prohibitively difficult.2
Proxima's approach combines three enabling developments: first, modern stellarator optimization codes — descendants of the tools that designed W7-X — that can computationally search vast design spaces for configurations with excellent confinement; second, HTS magnets that enable higher fields in smaller packages, potentially simplifying the coil geometry; and third, advanced manufacturing techniques including precision winding and additive manufacturing for complex coil support structures.3
Proxima Fusion has raised approximately $30 million in early funding rounds, backed by prominent European and international investors. The company has assembled a team with deep expertise in stellarator physics, drawing heavily from the IPP research community. Its early-phase work focuses on detailed reactor design studies and HTS magnet prototyping, with the goal of converging on a power-plant-relevant configuration before committing to large-scale construction.4
Proxima Fusion represents the most credentialed effort to commercialize the stellarator concept, benefiting from direct intellectual lineage to W7-X and the broader IPP stellarator program. The stellarator's inherent steady-state capability and disruption-free operation are powerful selling points for utility-scale power generation. However, the engineering complexity of non-planar stellarator coils remains a significant challenge, and the company must demonstrate that HTS technology and modern manufacturing can tame it. Proxima's progress will be a key indicator of whether the stellarator path can compete with the tokamak's head start in the race to commercial fusion.5