The first part of the talk describes current research efforts at the Max Born Institute to extend the conventional laser principle towards EUV wavelengths. Collisional excitation of highly charged ions in a laser produced plasma, combined with "transient population inversion" first demonstrated at MBI, drives a 13nm laser with µJ pulse energies and pulse durations between ps and sub-100fs. With >100Hz repetition rate, the highest of any table-top x-ray laser, the average brilliance lies between the FLASH FEL and state-of-the-art synchrotrons. Thus, the system will offer complementary research opportunities for a growing user community of coherent short wavelength radiation. Coherent diffraction imaging is among the first applications envisioned.

The technology challenge lies in the development of ps pump lasers with multi-100W average power and multi-Joule pulse energies. MBI builds on long-standing experience, partially gained from the development of high-power photocathode lasers and user stations for superconducting FELs. The latest research utilizes the thin-disk amplifier technology, expected to be scalable to multi-Joule pulse energies. Besides pumping table-top x-ray lasers such drivers enable OPCPA amplification of ultrashort pulses, opening new avenues towards 10 - 100TW class lasers at unprecedented repetition rates. Applications include high-average power high harmonic generation from relativistic surfaces, or laser electron acceleration and table-top FELs. The present state of MBI's relevant research and its embeddedness into European consortia will be presented in the second part of the talk.