We describe a laser heated diamond anvil cell system at the GeoSoilEnviroCARS sector at the Advanced Photon Source. The system can be used for in situ x-ray measurements at simultaneously ultrahigh pressures to 150 GPa and ultrahigh temperatures to 4000 K. Design goals of the laser heating system include generation of a large heating volume compared to the x-ray beam size, minimization of the sample temperature gradients both radially and axially in the diamond anvil cell, and maximization of heating stability. The system is based on double-sided laser heating technique and consists of two Nd:YLF lasers with one operating in TEM 00 mode and the other in TEM 01 * mode, optics to heat the sample from both sides, and two spectroradiometric systems for temperature measurements on both sides. When combined with an x-ray microbeam 3–10 m technique, a temperature variation of less than 50 K can be achieved within an x-ray sampled region for longer than 10 min. The system has been used to obtain in situ structural data and high temperature equations of state on metals, oxides, and silicates to 3500 K and 160 GPa. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.