High-temperature superconductors (HTS) continue to expand the limits of magnetic field, current density, and quantum functionality, with broad impact across science, energy, and advanced instrumentation. At the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab), an integrated program links materials discovery, conductor engineering, and magnet development to enable reliable HTS performance in extreme-field environments.

This talk highlights recent progress in HTS materials and their translation into high-field magnet technologies. Advances in REBCO coated conductors—including artificial pinning and defect engineering—are enabling high engineering current density at elevated fields and temperatures, alongside improvements in mechanical robustness and strain tolerance. These developments underpin a growing portfolio of HTS magnets, including no-insulation REBCO coils, high-field inserts, and hybrid LTS/HTS systems operating beyond 30 T. Key challenges in quench detection, magnet stability, and stress management are being addressed through innovations in coil design, protection strategies, and conductor architecture.

Using ultrahigh DC and pulsed fields as both a testbed and discovery platform, the MagLab is advancing understanding of HTS conductor and coil behavior under extreme Lorentz forces and dynamic conditions. In situ diagnostics reveal degradation mechanisms and guide improved designs, while high-field studies of quantum materials provide feedback for superconductor optimization.

Ongoing challenges include scaling conductor manufacturing, mitigating screening current effects, developing robust joints, and integrating HTS magnets into user facilities. By tightly coupling materials science with magnet engineering, the MagLab continues to push the frontier of superconducting magnet performance and enable access to previously unattainable field regimes.