Status of the LHC

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will provide particle physics with a tool to access the energy frontier above 1 TeV. To deliver proton-proton collisions at the centre of mass energy of 14 TeV with a nominal luminosity of 1034 cm-2s-1, the LHC will operate with high-field dipole magnets using NbTi superconductors cooled below the l-point of helium. Following a decade of R&D and technical validation of major collider sub-systems, the LHC main components are being built in industry and procured through world-wide collaboration. For final validation of the entire system and preparation of machine operation, a full-scale prototype of a lattice cell is being commissioned. The machine equipment and protection systems are being prepared to operate with about 3 x 10**14 protons/beam. The energy stored in one beam is 350 MJ, more than seven orders of magnitude above the quench limit of a superconducting magnet. After briefly recalling the challenges and design choices of the machine, status and future prospects are discussed.