Cutting Edge Superconductors

Cutting Edge Superconductors is tackling one the biggest bottlenecks in modern technology: the limits of how efficiently we can move electricity. If its technology is successful, it could reshape industries ranging from healthcare to energy to computing.

The company is developing advanced superconducting materials. These are substances that can conduct electricity with little to no resistance. Its core product is based on a material called magnesium diboride, which it uses to produce high-performance wires, powders, and tapes for next-generation machines like MRI scanners.

This is important. Traditional MRI machines rely on expensive liquid helium cooling systems to function. Cutting Edge’s technology enables “cryogen-free” MRI systems, eliminating the need for helium and potentially reducing scan costs by about forty percent. According to Grand View Research, the MRI market size was around seven billion dollars as of 2024, and is projected to surpass ten billion dollars by 2030.

This technology is only the beginning, however. Cutting Edge also claims a breakthrough discovery: a room-temperature, ambient-pressure superconductor called CES-2023.

If commercialized, this material could eliminate energy loss in power grids, improve semiconductor performance, and enable new categories of electronics. It’s the kind of innovation that could impact trillion-dollar markets.

To make money, Cutting Edge licenses its patented technology to manufacturers — specifically MRI and NMR (nuclear-magnetic resonance) companies. Customers and partners include GE Healthcare and ASG Superconductors. Other companies like Siemens, Toshiba, and Hitachi have shown interest in Cutting Edge’s technology.

Down the road, the company plans to expand into direct manufacturing, producing and selling its proprietary superconducting wires at scale.

As mentioned, the market opportunity here is massive. Superconductors have applications across medical imaging, energy transmission, quantum computing, and advanced electronics. If Cutting Edge’s room-temperature breakthrough becomes viable, it could unlock new infrastructure for how electricity is generated, transmitted, and used.

Cutting Edge holds patents for its core material. It’s also received funding from the National Science Foundation and collaborated with GE Global Research. The company earned industry recognition, receiving a Frost & Sullivan Innovation Leadership Award. Notable past recipients include Apple, Siemens, and Synopsys.

Team Background

Dr. Yong-Jihn Kim - Founder & CEO

Dr. Kim is the founder and CEO of Cutting Edge Superconductors, a company he launched in 2011 to commercialize his patented superconducting technologies for next-generation MRI systems. In addition to leading the company, he serves as a longtime professor of physics at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez, and has spent roughly three decades researching superconductivity.

Earlier in his career, Dr. Kim conducted postdoctoral research at both Harvard University and Purdue University, deepening his expertise in condensed matter physics. He is credited with identifying key mechanisms in superconductors and inventing techniques to improve their performance — innovations that underpin the company’s core technology.

Dr. Kim holds a Ph.D. in Condensed Matter & Materials Physics from Seoul National University, along with an M.A. and B.A. in Physics from the same institution.

Dr. Hem Kanithi - Senior Technical Advisor

Dr. Kanithi serves as Senior Technical Advisor to Cutting Edge Superconductors, where he supports the development and commercialization of advanced superconducting wire technologies.

Prior to this role, he spent years at Luvata, a global leader in superconducting materials, where he held positions including Vice President of Business Development and Head of R&D. In that capacity, he helped develop manufacturing processes for niobium-titanium (NbTi) superconductors, achieving some of the highest current densities in the industry and enabling large-scale production. His work contributed to Luvata supplying materials used in more than one-third of MRI scanners worldwide.

Dr. Kanithi holds a Ph.D., reflecting deep technical expertise in superconducting materials and industrial-scale manufacturing.

Co-Investors