China announced on Sept. 29 that it has developed the world’s most powerful magnet, which generated a world-record steady magnetic field of 35.1 tesla, about 700,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field. It was sustained for 30 minutes before being safely demagnetized.
The magnet was developed at the Institute of Plasma Physics (IPP) in Hefei, and can have important implications for electromagnetic propulsion, power transmission, MRIs, nuclear fusion, and maglev trains. The IPP has been deeply involved in nuclear fusion research and has also achieved complete localization of superconducting materials, devices, and systems in China, reducing reliance on imports.
According to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, under which the IPP falls, the team was able to achieve these results by combining low-temperature superconducting magnets, which reach a magnetic field strength of 23 tesla, with a high-temperature superconducting magnet to boost the magnetic field further.
The IPP is also a major contributor to the international ITER fusion power project in France and has provided it with superconductors, correction coils, and magnet feeders, according to Interesting Engineering.
Chinese engineers have put into place the Dewar base for the Burning Plasma Experimental Superconducting Tokamak (BEST). At the heart of BEST lies the Dewar, a core component that functions like a giant high-vacuum thermos flask. It insulated the superconducting magnets, which must operate at −269° Celsius, enabling them to confine plasma heated to over 100 million degrees.
Weighing more than 400 tons, measuring about 18 meters in diameter and 5 meters in height, the Dewar base is not only the heaviest single component of BEST’s main machine, but also the largest vacuum component ever produced in China’s fusion research field. Construction included breakthroughs in many advanced technologies, such as high-precision forming and welding, millimeter-scale deformation control, and ultra-high vacuum sealing.
The objective for the BEST facility is to generate electricity from a fusion reaction by 2030, initially to power a light bulb. “The precise placement and integrity of this structure are fundamental to the operational performance and safety of the entire system,” Interesting Engineering writes. “Achieving this would represent a significant milestone in the field, which has historically focused on achieving and sustaining the necessary plasma conditions rather than on electricity conversion."Oct. 2, 2025 (EIRNS)—China announced on Sept. 29 that it has developed the world’s most powerful magnet, which generated a world-record steady magnetic field of 35.1 tesla, about 700,000 times stronger than the Earth’s magnetic field. It was sustained for 30 minutes before being safely demagnetized.
