The typical material (Metglas) is an alloy of iron with boron, silicon, and phosphorus in the form of thin (e.g. 25 μm) foils rapidly cooled from melt.
The high resistance and thin foils lead to low losses by eddy currents when subjected to alternating magnetic fields.
On the downside amorphous alloys have a lower saturation induction and often a higher magnetostriction compared to conventional crystalline iron-silicon electrical steel.
[citation needed] AMT are in fact more labour-intensive than conventional distribution transformers, a reason that explains a very low adoption in the comparable (by size) European market.
These two countries can potentially save 25–30 TWh electricity annually, eliminate 6-8 GW generation investment, and reduce 20–30 million tons of CO2 emission by fully utilizing this technology.