Synchrotron x-ray facilities provide a powerful toolbox for interrogating the properties of matter with atomic resolution and elemental specificity. The x-ray beam lines and associated instrumentation are the essential tools of this toolbox and like any tool must keep pace with evolving standards of performance and the challenges of new applications. In turn this requires ever more aggressive control of the x-ray beam characteristics in time, space, and energy through application of atomic level precision, stable x-ray optics and associated diagnostics which must operate in the face of significant environmental challenges such as high absorbed beam power, radiation degradation of materials, and ultrahigh vacuum. SSRL’s x-ray beam line development team explores and develops new x-ray optics – in particular for meeting high-power requirements, controls, instrumentation and associated technologies for implementation in SSRL beam line upgrades and new beam lines as needed to address grand challenge problems in energy, biosciences, the environment, and chemical and physical sciences.