AbstractOver 12 000 plasma shots (some of them with up to 8 MW of additional power and some as long as 60 s) have been achieved in Tore Supra, with a significant number of them limited by the inner first wall. This actively water-cooled wall is covered with brazed graphite tiles. High power, high energy experiments have shown that reliability of the graphite tile-heat sink joint and accurate alignment of the wall are needed. This paper summarizes the experience gained with this component, and the developments in progress to improve the performance of such an inner first wall.