Chinese Scientists Set World Record with 35.1 Tesla Superconducting Magnet, Transforming Future Technology
September 29, 2025
This development supports China's broader fusion research efforts, including participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, which aims to build the world's largest fusion reactor.
Chinese scientists at the Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have developed a groundbreaking all-superconducting magnet that generated a world-record steady magnetic field of 35.1 tesla on September 28, 2025.
This new magnet significantly surpasses previous records, achieving a magnetic field about 700,000 times stronger than Earth's magnetic field, and is approximately 700,000 times more powerful than Earth's natural magnetic flux.
Constructed with high-temperature superconducting insert-coil technology nested within low-temperature superconducting magnets, the design demonstrates a sophisticated approach to balancing high-field strength with operational stability.
The magnet was energized to 35.1 tesla during testing, operated stably for 30 minutes, and was safely demagnetized, showcasing its reliability and potential for practical use.
While not yet integrated into a fusion reactor, this achievement advances the platform for conducting experiments at such high magnetic fields, which are crucial for future fusion technology development.
The development overcomes previous challenges related to stress, shielding currents, and multi-field effects, thereby improving the magnet's stability under extreme conditions.
This technological breakthrough could impact various fields requiring powerful magnets, including aerospace propulsion, power transmission, MRI, nuclear fusion, and magnetic levitation.
It also supports the development of superconducting scientific instruments like nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers and enhances efforts in fusion energy, space propulsion, and maglev systems.
The achievement of a 35.1 tesla magnetic field in a fully superconducting magnet not only validates the technical solution but also provides a platform for high-field experiments.
To put it into perspective, Earth's magnetic field is about 0.00005 tesla, and MRI machines typically operate around 3 tesla, making this new magnet's strength truly extraordinary.
Achieving superconductivity at such high magnetic fields requires extremely low temperatures, which presents challenges, especially in fusion applications where heat from reactions complicates maintaining superconducting states.
Summary based on 3 sources
Get a daily email with more Science stories
Sources

Gizmodo • Sep 29, 2025
Physicists Smash Record With Magnetic Field 700,000 Times Stronger Than Earth’s
South China Morning Post • Sep 29, 2025
Chinese physicists produce most powerful stable magnetic field on Earth