A switched reluctance machine has a stator core salient with stator poles disposed concentrically with a rotor that is salient with rotor poles. A plurality of coil windings are wound about the stator core so that a pair of windings are adjacent each of the stator poles. The pair of coil windings induces magnetic flux in the adjacent stator poles and the rotor rotates to align the rotor poles with the stator poles having the induced magnetic flux. The rotor is rotatable at high speeds of up to 50,000 RPM and the coil windings can be directly cooled.