The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced a 10-year project agreement with the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) in Germany to advance research on the Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X) stellarator.

According to the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), the collaboration is the first project to be established under “a new model project framework” that aims to streamline processes for initiating and expanding fusion research projects between the DOE and the European Union.

W7-X is a stellarator, a type of fusion device that uses twisted magnetic fields to confine plasma in a donut-shaped chamber. It differs from the more widely studied tokamak, which uses a simpler magnetic design.