TITAN is a new type of ion source capable of generating high current, wide aperture beams of gas and metal ions from a broad range of elements: Mg, Al, Ti, Cr, Fe, Co, Ni, Sm, Zn, W, Pb, Ta, Re, Y, C, He, N, Ar, and Xe. A specific feature of the TITAN ion source is the use of two kinds of arc discharges, each with cold cathodes, to produce plasma for ion beam extraction. Metal ions are generated by means of the vacuum arc in the metal vapor formed in cathode spots. Gas ions, on the other hand, are provided by a low‐pressure constricted arc discharge. In a pulsed mode of operation the extraction voltage of the source ranges from 10 to 100 kV. The pulsed beam current for gas and metal ions is on the order of 1 A at pulse repetition rates up to 50 pulses per second and pulse duration of ∼400 &mgr;s. For dc operation and at an extraction voltage up to 10 kV, the ion current is as high as hundreds of milliamperes. This work outlines briefly the ion source, its design, and certain physical peculiarities observed when a high current ion beam is generated and transported.