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The basics:

• HAX Plasma Forge to open at historic SRI campus in Princeton
• NJEDA, SOSV committing combined $49M investment
• Hub will support plasma, semiconductor, fusion startups
• Facility to offer labs, coworking space, seed funding

The HAX Plasma Forge selected the historic SRI campus in Princeton as its home ahead of a planned late-2026 opening.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority, SOSV and the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory back the new plasma technology hub. The state announced the Plasma Forge as a new Strategic Innovation Center last June, as NJBIZ reported. The initiative represents a combined $49 million investment from NJEDA and Princeton-headquartered SOSV.

The SIC aims to commercialize plasma research and support startup growth in semiconductors, fusion energy and advanced manufacturing. The new Princeton-area center also marks an expansion of HAX’s footprint in New Jersey.

NJEDA and SOSV previously partnered to establish HAX’s U.S. headquarters in Newark, another SIC focused on supporting emerging hard-tech companies.

The Plasma Forge facility will provide 10,000 square feet of lab and coworking space for startups focused on plasma applications in semiconductors, fusion energy, advanced materials and manufacturing.

Companies accepted into the program can receive up to $550,000 in seed funding. They will also gain access to specialized plasma research infrastructure and metrology tools, as well as engineering and supply chain support from HAX teams, collaboration with PPPL scientists and connections to SOSV’s global network of founders, investors and corporate partners.

Exploring new possibilities and applications

The Plasma Forge will be located at 201 Washington Road. The former home of RCA Laboratories and the David Sarnoff Research Center is long regarded as one of New Jersey’s most important innovation campuses. Researchers there helped pioneer technologies including color television, LCD displays and early semiconductor advances, while wartime research conducted at the site contributed to radar and defense systems during World War II.

“The HAX Plasma Forge isn’t just renting space, they’re joining a lineage of innovators who specialize in turning frontier science into the bedrock of global industry,” said SRI Chief Executive Officer David Parekh. “We can’t wait to see plasma become the next great chapter in that legacy.”

Under the partnership, NJEDA is committing $24.5 million over five years to support operations and startup investments. SOSV is matching that amount through seed funding and accelerator support. Additional technical collaboration and in-kind support will come from PPPL.

PPPL Director Sir Steve Cowley said advances in plasma science and AI-driven control systems are opening new possibilities for industrial and technological applications.

“The industries surrounding it are suddenly getting this injection of capability that we didn’t see before,” Cowley said during a recent SOSV event. “We’re now carefully putting a single monolayer of atoms down in order to make some particular device. It’s exquisite in the way that you can now manipulate at the scale of atoms.”

Organizers say the goal is to create a long-term commercialization pipeline for plasma technologies in New Jersey, helping startups move breakthroughs from research labs into scalable businesses tied to AI infrastructure, semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy and advanced industrial systems.