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Päivi Törmä, a professor of quantum physics at Aalto University, describes her work by saying that it’s better to study something whose significance is absolutely clear, even if success is uncertain, than something less important where success is guaranteed. Törma leads an international consortium trying to realise one of physics’ great ambitions by 2033: finding a superconductor that works at room temperature.

‘At this stage of my career and life, I wanted to do something truly meaningful. I thought about where I have deep expertise and a strong track record, and what would also be extremely important for the world.’

Superconductivity is a quantum phenomenon in which electrical resistance and energy loss disappear when a material is cooled to extremely low temperatures. It’s already used in applications such as large magnets, medical imaging, and quantum devices.

Superconductivity was first discovered more than a century ago in mercury. Yet achieving it still requires large amounts of energy, expensive equipment, and non-renewable natural resources such as helium, which is used to cool electrons near absolute zero. The most commonly used superconducting material is niobium and its alloys.

A breakthrough would have enormous significance for information and communication technology, potentially reducing its global energy consumption by as much as 25 percent. The need is becoming increasingly urgent in the age of data centres and artificial intelligence. New superconductors could also be used in medical imaging devices, maglev trains, and the development of quantum technologies and fusion energy.

Now is the right time to try

SuperC is built on the power of collaboration. The goal is so ambitious that no single research group can solve it alone.

Although previous attempts have not succeeded, the conditions now are far more promising, thanks in particular to machine learning methods and new theoretical approaches such as quantum geometry, the field connected to Törmä’s own research.

In 2015, Törmä applied quantum geometry to superconductors based on so-called flat energy bands. A flat band is a quantum state in which electrons do not move at all, making superconductivity possible at higher temperatures. Materials containing such flat bands offer one promising route forward.

Törmä finds it fascinating and exciting to search for something that doesn’t yet exist.The work isn’t just aiming at a distant goal. It’s also normal scientific research, progressing through intermediate milestones, generating new findings, and publishing papers along the way. Törmä praises the broad-mindedness of Finnish foundations for being the first to fund the project.

‘In science, progress has repeatedly come from trying risky and difficult things. Even if this does not succeed, humanity absolutely has to try.’

Experiments in the Low Temperature Laboratory

Although the ultimate aim is to find a material that superconducts at room temperature, experimental research still requires ultra-low temperatures. At Aalto University’s Low Temperature Laboratory, samples can be cooled to near absolute zero in order to study quantum phenomena and better understand the mechanisms behind superconductivity.

Professor Pertti Hakonen is the scientific director of the Low Temperature Laboratory and leads SuperC’s experimental research at Aalto. His group focuses on the superconducting properties of two forms of carbon, graphene and graphite.

‘Graphite contains lattice defects, and our understanding is that some of these could enable superconductivity. We’re trying to determine under what conditions graphite becomes superconducting and at what temperatures the phenomenon appears,’ he explains. Lattice defects are deviations from graphite’s normal crystal structure, and they have a significant impact on its physical properties.

Graphene, discovered in 2004, is an exceptionally durable form of carbon consisting of a one-atom thick lattice of carbon atoms. That’s unimaginably thin and almost transparent – in fact, it’s invisible without a microscope. Its production can be surprisingly tangible: one method involves using regular adhesive tape to peel layers from graphite.

One of the wonders of the quantum world is that when two sheets of graphene are placed on top of each other with the upper layer rotated by one degree relative to the lower one, a superconductor emerges. This was discovered in 2018 by MIT professor Pablo Jarillo-Herrero. In 2020, the research groups of Törmä and Professor Tero Heikkilä from the University of Jyväskylä showed that quantum geometry could partly explain the phenomenon. ‘We’re also interested in graphene samples a few layers thick with a special stacking order,’ Hakonen says.

Machines discover materials

Research into new superconductors is like searching for a needle in a haystack. Nature contains around one hundred chemical elements, but they can be brought together in billions of different combinations. That’s where machine learning comes in.

Once trained on computational databases of superconductors, an algorithm can analyse the structures of hundreds of millions of compounds and predict which materials may be superconducting. Thousands of candidates have already been proposed, and two have been synthesised in the laboratory.

YRu3B2 and LuRu3B2 are new metallic materials. They function as superconductors at a temperature of one degree kelvin – far from room temperature, but the result is groundbreaking proof of machine learning’s potential.

Doctoral researcher Kaja Hiorth works in Törmä’s research group, developing machine learning methods for calculating properties relevant to superconductivity, such as superfluid weight. ‘Before starting my doctoral studies, I was an exchange student at Aalto, so Finland and the research group were already familiar to me. I really liked this place and the university, which ultimately made me decide to stay. An added bonus was that Päivi had a very interesting project,’ Hiorth says.

At the moment, machine learning is mainly being used to identify conventional superconductors, materials whose superconductivity is already understood. The real breakthrough, however, would be understanding unconventional superconductors. There is still no established theory for them, although there are some promising research ideas.

‘To begin with, we use experimental data from materials that are superconducting but cannot be explained by conventional theory. That means there must be something unconventional going on,’ Hiorth says. The goal is enormous, but she also enjoys the tasks along the way, the daily work of programming and problem-solving.

‘Superconductors could revolutionise technology and have a major impact on climate change. But you can’t just go home disappointed every day just because you haven’t yet solved global warming. Every step forward matters, and I try to focus on that.’

SuperC

• The goal is to discover a superconductor that functions at room temperature and normal pressure by 2033.
• The consortium includes 14 research group leaders and more than 80 researchers from four countries. Aalto University coordinates the project.
• Funding comes from organisations including Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation, Kavli Foundation, Keele Foundation, Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation, Klaus Tschira Stiftung, Kevin Wells, Fortum and Nest Foundation, InstituteQ, The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters, Aalto Science Institute, and Aalto University.
• Some SuperC researchers are also involved in the superconductivity initiative of The Simons Foundation, where Päivi Törmä serves as deputy director.

The SuperC project is featured in the Designs for a Cooler Planet exhibition from 1 September to 30 October 2026 at the Marsio building on Aalto’s campus, Otakaari 2, Espoo.

Text: Terhi Hautamäki 
Illustration: Tuomas Kärkkäinen

This article has been published in the , September 2026.