InterBattery 2026 Opens...ESS, Robotics, and UAM Emerge as New Growth Drivers for Batteries

Um Ki-chun: "Overcoming Supply Chain Crisis with K-Battery One Team"
Samsung SDI, LG Energy Solution, and SK On
Unveil Next-Generation Battery and AI-Based R&D Strategies

At "InterBattery 2026" held at COEX in Seoul, key figures representing the domestic battery industry presented their future strategies and approaches to industrial challenges. Despite a slowdown in electric vehicle demand, there was consensus that new demand sources such as energy storage systems (ESS), robotics, and urban air mobility (UAM) will become future growth drivers for the battery industry.

Um Ki-chun, Chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association and CEO of POSCO Future M. Photo by Jang Bokyung

At the opening of InterBattery 2026 at COEX on the 11th, Um Ki-chun, Chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association and CEO of POSCO Future M, along with senior executives from Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution, announced their outlook and strategies for the industry. This year’s event saw participation from 667 companies across 14 countries, making it the largest in its history.

Largest-Ever Scale with 667 Companies from 14 Countries

Chairman Um stated during a doorstepping session, "This year's InterBattery features 667 companies from 14 countries and 5,280 booths, making it the largest event to date," adding, "It has become a leading platform to observe both the present and future of the global battery industry."

Chairman Um identified recent supply chain risks and the expansion of protectionism as major challenges, emphasizing, "Cell, materials, parts, and equipment companies must enhance their competitiveness as the ‘K-Battery One Team’ to overcome these crises." He continued, "The association will work between companies and the government to develop practical strategies and ideas to strengthen industrial competitiveness."

Regarding the recent decline in the global market share of Korean batteries, he said, "K-Battery's strengths lie not just in price competitiveness, but in technology, quality, reliability, and next-generation technology development capabilities," evaluating that North America's decoupling from China and changes in European industrial policy could present new opportunities.

Regarding government support policies, he commented, "While introducing production subsidies is necessary, ultimately it is more important to create an industrial environment where companies can sustainably operate domestically."

Addressing POSCO Future M’s strategy, Chairman Um stated, "Although operating rates have declined due to the electric vehicle market chasm, new markets such as ESS, AI data centers, and robotics are growing rapidly." He added, "For lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode materials, we plan to complete line conversion and certification procedures this year, and begin mass supply to customers by the end of the year."

On all-solid-state batteries, he emphasized, "This is a next-generation battery technology that could surpass China," and stressed, "It is essential for the government and companies to pursue strategic joint development."

The opening ceremony of InterBattery 2026 held on the morning of the 11th at COEX in Seoul. Photo by Bokyung Jang

LG Energy Solution: "Securing Top-Tier Global Patent Competitiveness"

Kim Jeyoung, Chief Technology Officer of LG Energy Solution, delivered a presentation titled "Beyond the Speed of Innovation: Time Compression & Accumulation," introducing a strategy for transitioning to an AI-based research and development system.

CTO Kim explained, "The battery industry is expanding beyond electric vehicles to a variety of industries, including ESS and robotics," and stated that the company is strengthening its technological competitiveness based on more than 30 years of accumulated R&D capabilities, data, and patent assets.

He announced that the company has transitioned from a manpower-centered R&D system to a research framework that combines AI transformation (AX) and open innovation. By applying AI to all stages of battery development—including new material discovery and digital twin-based cell design—LG Energy Solution has simultaneously increased both the speed and completeness of R&D.

He also highlighted that LG Energy Solution has secured top-tier global competitiveness in the Patent Asset Index (PAI), which measures patent influence.

CTO Kim stated, "Competitiveness based on technology and intellectual property will be the key to the future battery industry," and added, "We will strengthen technology-driven profit models, going beyond mere production expansion."

During the InterBattery event, there was consensus that even amid a short-term slowdown in the electric vehicle market, new sectors such as ESS, robotics, and UAM will drive battery demand. The industry presented strategies to secure leadership in the global market based on next-generation battery technologies and supply chain competitiveness.

Samsung SDI Showcases New Prismatic and All-Solid-State Battery Technologies

Photo by Samsung SDI, Yongrak Joo, Head of Research at Samsung SDI

Yongrak Joo, Head of Research at Samsung SDI, noted in his keynote speech at the affiliated "The Battery Conference" that the axis of battery industry growth is expanding beyond electric vehicles to ESS, robotics, and UAM. He stated, "Batteries are now the core growth drivers leading the future not only for electric vehicles, but also for ESS, robotics, and UAM."

He explained that the ESS market is growing rapidly, driven by increased power demand from AI data centers. The global ESS battery market is projected to expand from 399GWh in 2024 to 1,232GWh in 2035—an approximately threefold increase.

He also projected that battery demand for robotics will surge from 1.4GWh in 2030 to 138.3GWh in 2040, and that demand for UAM batteries will increase significantly from 3.7GWh in 2030 to 68.0GWh in 2035.

To respond to these market changes, he stated that Samsung SDI is preparing various next-generation battery technologies. The strategy is to apply LFP and sodium-ion batteries to ESS, all-solid-state batteries to robotics, and all-solid-state lithium-sulfur and lithium-metal batteries to UAM, respectively.

Samsung SDI also unveiled new technology names at this event—its prismatic battery technology as "PrismStack" and its all-solid-state battery technology as "SolidStack."

Yongrak Joo said, "We will proactively identify innovative technologies that lead changes in the future energy market and spearhead global battery technology innovation in the age of AI."

SK On: "Zero Battery Fire Risk Challenge... Unveiling 3P Safety Strategy"

Park Kisoo, Head of Future Technology at SK On, unveiled the "3P-Zero Strategy" aimed at improving battery safety at "The Battery Conference," an affiliated event of InterBattery, on the 11th. Park stated, "Our goal is to reduce both the possibility and spread risk of battery fires to zero through the strategies of Prevent, Protect, and Predict."

SK On is first enhancing cell safety through the "Prevent" strategy. By applying self-developed additives to reduce gas generation and forming a thermal barrier layer on electrode interfaces, the company has lowered the risk of ignition. Flame-retardant separators and nonflammable electrolyte technologies have also been implemented to maintain safety even in high-temperature environments.

Under the "Protect" strategy, technologies that minimize damage in abnormal situations are applied. The battery management system (BMS) detects anomalies such as resistance or internal shorts and reduces deviations between cells to ensure stable performance. Additionally, flame-retardant fillers are used so that gases generated in pouch cells are released in designated directions.

SK On also revealed structural design technologies. The laser-engraving-based "Prismatic On Vent Cell" enables safe gas release by designing the gas vent at desired locations—a technology that won the InterBattery 2026 Awards. The company also showcased the "Pouch Integrated Prismatic Pack," which puts pouch cells into aluminum cases to improve safety against external impact.

Through the "Predict" strategy, SK On is building an AI-based battery development and manufacturing system. In R&D, data models are used to predict performance without actual cell production, and in manufacturing, vision AI quickly detects defects.

Park commented on the electric vehicle market, "Currently, this is not a structural recession, but a temporary adjustment phase. With new demand such as AI data centers increasing, the battery market will continue to grow." He added, "The competitive focus in the battery industry is shifting from performance to safety."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.