The NJ HAX Plasma Forge, a new partnership between the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), SOSV venture capital firm and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), will help launch and grow startups focused on plasma technology.
An aerial view of the PPPL. Image credit: PPPL.
The NJ HAX Plasma Forge will be located near the PPPL in Princeton, NJ and will feature approximately 10,000 square feet of laboratory and working space. It will be a Strategic Innovation Center for low-temperature plasma research, “which is essential to advancing semiconductor manufacturing processes and fusion supply chain development,” according to the PPPL.
“With the support of the NJEDA’s Strategic Innovation Center initiative, entrepreneurs will be able to harness transformative advances in plasma research to create businesses that drive this industry forward and further the state’s clean energy and energy resiliency goals,” said NJEDA CEO Tim Sullivan.
While the center focuses on low-temperature plasma applications, the endeavor was announced at a summit on planning supply chains for future fusion power plants at Rutgers University this week. The event was hosted by the Fusion Industry Association, the PPPL and the Stellar Energy Foundation.
What is low-temperature plasma?
Low-temperature plasmas (LTPs) are weakly ionized gases that operate at or near room temperature. Or as a PPPL slide deck puts it: LTPs are “plasmas with a gas temperature much less than what would cause ionization.” New ways of generating and controlling low-temperature plasma could have applications such as medicine, food processing and aerodynamics, according to Purdue University. Unlike fusion plasma, which can run over 100 million degrees Celsius, LTPs are already used in everyday applications:
- Manufacturing: Semiconductor chip production (plasma etching and deposition for chip fabrication)
- Lighting: Fluorescent bulbs and neon signs
- Medicine: Wound healing, cancer treatment, dermatology
- Environment: Water treatment and air purification
The NJ HAX Plasma Forge will focus on advancing these low-temperature plasma applications, particularly for semiconductor manufacturing.
Determining supply chain processes for fusion energy
Experts at the summit said the supply chain processes for fusion energy must be considered now.
A 2025 FIA report states that the fusion supply chain would benefit from a concentration of fusion companies in one area. Participants in the summit identified many reasons why the northeast could serve as this fusion energy hub.
Princeton University and Columbia University both have fusion research programs. In addition, the PPPL, one of the DOE’s national laboratories, is located in Princeton. The northeast also has a transit system, large ports, available capital and a growing private fusion sector with companies like Thea Energy and Commonwealth Fusion Systems. The NJ HAX Plasma Forge is another step towards developing this area as the fusion center of the U.S.
Another part of planning this supply chain involves public-private partnerships. Participants in the summit noted how the government can accelerate progress in this area by contributing more significant funding than private investments.
The broader fusion energy market also set for growth
The growth in fusion funding and the establishment of facilities like the NJ HAX Plasma Forge highlight how different plasma technologies are advancing in parallel. While the Plasma Forge will focus on near-term commercial applications of low-temperature plasma, from making computer chips to treating cancer, its location in Princeton positions it within a growing ecosystem of plasma research that spans from industrial applications to fusion energy. The FIA reported the total funding of the fusion energy market as approximately $7.1 billion in 2024, compared to $6.2 billion in 2023.
Public funding in the industry grew by 50% from $271 million in 2023 to $426 million in 2024. At total of 16 companies reported being part of a public-private partnership globally.
