Cryogenic Cable Market Size, Share, and Industry Analysis By Type (Single-Core Cryogenic Cables and Multi-Core Cryogenic Cables), By Conductor Material (Copper, Steel, and Others), By Application (Quantum Computing, Aerospace, Healthcare, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Cryogenic cables are special transmission lines designed to maintain superconductivity at extremely low temperatures. Superconductivity is a phenomenon that occurs when certain materials have zero electrical resistance when they are cooled below a critical temperature. This allows resonant frequency (RF) signals to flow efficiently without energy loss due to resistance. These cables are usually made of high-performance superconducting materials such as niobium-titanium (NbTi) or niobium-tin (Nb3Sn), which can conduct RF signals without resistance when cooled to cryogenic temperatures. They are enclosed in a cryostat, a vacuum container that isolates heat and maintains the low operating temperatures necessary for superconductivity.

• For instance, Berkeley Lab experts in the U.S. have wound more than 2,000 kilometers of superconducting wire into cables for new magnets that will help improve the Large Hadron Collider and search for new physics. American scientists have reached an important milestone in the upgrade project of the HL-LHC accelerator by completing 111 high-tech superconducting cables. The cables are used to make the strongest focusing magnets in all the accelerators. They compress the particle beams just before they hit the detectors. All 111 cables are one continuous piece made by wrapping 40 individual wires around a stainless steel core. The work involved the collaboration of experts from the Accelerated Technology and Applied Physics (ATAP) section of Berkeley Lab and the Engineering Department.

U.S. military scientists are asking the industry to explore the possibility of developing high-density coupled cryogenic cables for future use in superconducting classical computing, superconducting quantum computing, and quantum collaring and superconducting single-photon detector arrays. The Research Projects Agency (DARPA) based in Arlington issued a request for the High-Density Connected Cryogenic Cables project. They are made of metallic materials with low thermal conductivity central and external wires that minimize the effect of low temperatures on the outside of the cables.

The halt in the supply chain due to COVID-19 led to a delay in the manufacturing of cryogenic cables in the industry. The demand decreased as all new projects were on hold and new investments were lacking in industry. Many leading players delayed the innovation in the capacity of cryogenic cables. Overall, the impact of COVID-19 on the cryogenic cables market was negative.

KEY INSIGHTS

The report covers the following key insights:

• Recent Advancements in the Cryogenic Cable Market


• Key Industry Trends


• Regulatory Landscape for the Cryogenic Cable Market


• Key Industry Developments (Mergers, Acquisitions, and Partnerships)


• Impact of COVID-19 on the Market

SEGMENTATION

ANALYSIS BY TYPE

Based on type, the market is segmented into single-core cryogenic cables and multi-core cryogenic cables. Single-core cryogenic cables are the dominant segment by type. Single-core cryogenic cables are best suited for applications where low heat dissipation is essential. These cables are important to increase the demand of the cryogenic cable market as they provide reliable data and power transmission in extreme conditions such as medical devices, space, and research facilities where the temperature is very low. The multi-core cryogenic cables are used when multiple signals must be transmitted at low temperatures. The versatility and efficiency of these cables make them a key component in several industries, stimulating the growth of the cryogenic cables market.

ANALYSIS BY CONDUCTOR MATERIAL

Based on conductor material, the market is segmented into copper, steel, and others. Copper is the dominant segment in the cryogenic cable market. Copper and copper alloys maintain high flexibility and ductility at freezing temperatures. In fact, copper alloys become stronger and more ductile as the temperature drops, maintaining excellent impact resistance down to 20 K (-253 C or -424 F).

Cryogenic steel cables with a stainless steel outer conductor are typically used in systems with temperatures above or below -55°C to +150°C. Cryogenic systems are sensitive to heat transfer to the chamber and rely on the relatively low heat transfer properties of certain stainless steel alloys. Others include many kinds of copper, steel, stainless steel, and alloys, which are used for specific purposes of cryogenic cables.

ANALYSIS BY APPLICATION

Based on application, the market is segmented into quantum computing, aerospace, healthcare, and others. The quantum computing segment dominates the cryogenic cables market. Advances in technology are increasing the demand for cryogenic cables in various quantum computing applications such as super-insulation. In addition, cryogenic cable sleeve insulation can be used to seal cryogenic cables, insulate cryogenic tubes, and others.

In the healthcare sector, cryogenic cables are used in scanning machines and custom medical cables with a good thermocouple. The others segment include specialized industrial applications in the automotive and manufacturing sectors.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS

The cryogenic cable market has been studied across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

The Asia Pacific dominates the cryogenic cable market as China is the region's industrial powerhouse and records increasing investments in infrastructure development. Research in these areas will contribute to the growth of the cryogenic cables market.

North America follows Asia in the growth of the cryogenic cable industry. The growth of quantum computing and related research in the U.S. is increasing as Delft Circuits announces its participation in the BICEP project in Antarctica, support for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology and other project partners.

In Europe, cryogenic electronics, in many scientific and technological research and quantum computing, is growing in the cable market. The EU-funded SEQUENCE research project has made significant progress in understanding and modeling the behavior of transistors under cryogenic conditions. In addition, there are also new projects underway in the Middle East and Africa country in Saudi Arabia, such as Saudi Arabian Mining Co. (Maaden), which signed a 20-year contract with Gulf Cryo to build and operate a CO2 plant at its phosphate complex in Ras Al Khair. Latin America is in the stage of creating cryogenic cables and their applications are in the energy sector, mainly nuclear power generation.

KEY PLAYERS COVERED

The report includes the profiles of key players such as Chromalox, COAX, CryoCoax, CRYO Engineering, Flextherm, Elspec Group, Quantum Design International (QDI), Thermon, Heatsense, NVent, KEYCOM, Accu-Glass, and Bluefors.

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS

• In July 2023, a U.K.-based specialist manufacturer of RF, microwave, and cryogenic connectors and harnesses, Intelliconnect (Europe), announced the high-density CryoCoax Q-CON connector. CryoCoax, a division of Intelliconnect, developed a high-density multi-directional connector based on the SMPM interface, which provides more coaxial lines in a given space and simplifies installation and adaptation in the dilution refrigerator.


• In February 2019, the first cryogenic probe developed by Intel, Bluefors, and Afore was designed to test and validate the qubits needed for quantum computing. The Cryogenic Wafer probe allows researchers to test qubits on 300 mm wafers at temperatures down to a few kelvins, making it the first quantum computer test tool of its kind. The first Cryogenic Wafer Prober is located at Intel's Oregon campus.