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press release
Invested in Kyoto University startup "Kyoto Fusioneering"
April 11, 2024
Fujikura Ltd.
Fujikura Ltd. (Director, President and CEO: Naoki Okada) has subscribed to and invested in a portion of a capital increase by Kyoto Fusion Engineering Corporation (President: Tetsuyuki Konishi, hereinafter "Kyoto Fusion Engineering"), a company with world-leading technology in the field of fusion energy, which is expected to become a next-generation energy source. (President: Tetsuyuki Konishi), which has the world's leading technology in the field of energy.
1. About Kyoto Fusioneering
Kyoto Fusioneering is a startup company founded in 2019 by Kyoto University based on the results of nuclear fusion research that has been cultivated over many years in Japan, including at Kyoto University. The company is engaged in research and development and plant engineering of fusion energy plant-related equipment and systems.
The company has fusion energy research and development institutes and companies from all over the world as customer, and is attracting a lot of attention in this field.
2. Fusion Energy
Fusion energy is the energy released when light atomic nuclei (deuterium, tritium) fuse together and turn into another atomic nucleus (helium), as occurs in the sun. It is said that 1 gram of fuel can produce the same amount of energy as burning 8 tons of oil.
The fuel can be extracted from seawater, and no carbon dioxide is produced during the power generation process using fusion energy. For these reasons, it has attracted attention as a solution to global warming and other environmental issues, and is expected to play an important role in realizing a carbon-neutral society.
3. Purpose of the investment
Our high-temperature superconducting wire *1 is used in high-temperature superconducting magnets to confine and control the plasma necessary for fusion energy.
Because the development of this technology will lead to the early practical application of fusion energy reactors, in December last year, Sumitomo Chemical and Kyoto Fusioneering announced a collaboration on a research promotion project for the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) in the field of high-temperature superconducting magnets for fusion energy reactors.
By combining our Monodukuri capabilities with Kyoto Fusioneering's nuclear fusion-related know-how, we will not only increase the speed of research, but also look to collaborate in the future to develop our own products in the fusion energy field.
Going forward, we will continue to pursue further innovation to reduce the environmental impact and realize a sustainable energy supply, thereby contributing to the development of society.
Kyoto Fusioneering Company Profile
| Firm | Kyoto Fusioneering Co., Ltd. |
|---|---|
| location | 5F Otemachi Building, 1-6-1 Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo |
| Date of Establishment | October 2019 |
| President and CEO | President and CEO: Tetsuyuki Konishi |
| Our Business | R&D and plant engineering for fusion energy plant related equipment and systems |
*1 High-temperature superconducting wire
Superconductivity is the phenomenon in which electrical resistance becomes zero below a certain temperature. There are low-temperature superconductors (metallic superconductors) that are cooled using liquid helium (boiling point: -269°C), and high-temperature superconductors (oxide superconductors) that exhibit superconductivity even at the temperature of liquid nitrogen (boiling point: -196°C).
We have been developing high-temperature superconducting wire for over 30 years and are a world leader in this field.
What we are researching and developing is rare earth high temperature superconducting wire, which is a wire that is formed by growing crystals of oxide superconducting material made of rare earths, etc., on a tape-shaped metal substrate such as a nickel-based alloy, with an intermediate layer in between.Its characteristics are excellent even in ultra-high magnetic fields, and it is expected that it will become widespread in the future to realize next-generation superconducting devices.
We are expanding our production capacity by supplying this high-temperature superconducting wire to countries around the world in preparation for fusion energy development projects currently being carried out mainly in Europe and the United States.
