"What's the Next Market After Batteries and Electric Vehicles?"...GIST Hosts Industry Forum

Experts Predict Market Outlook for Battery Sector
"New Technologies Will Create Businesses in Various Fields"

The Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) announced on the 7th that it recently hosted the battery industry forum "BATTERY X JEONNAM·GWANGJU 2026" at the main stage of the Kim Daejung Convention Center, "Future Lab," as part of the 2026 Jeonnam-Gwangju Future Industry Expo.

On the 3rd, key attendees of "BatteryX Jeonnam·Gwangju 2026" held at the Kim Daejung Convention Center are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by GIST

The purpose of this forum was to share the latest technological and industrial trends in the global battery industry, including changes in the sector, next-generation batteries, and the reuse and recycling of used batteries. Additionally, the event aimed to explore growth prospects and new business opportunities in emerging battery markets that are expanding beyond electric vehicles to include energy storage systems (ESS), robotics, and humanoid technologies.

The event was jointly hosted by GIST, Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, Jeonnam-Gwangju Free Economic Zone Authority, Korea Electric Power Corporation, the 1.5 Degrees Celsius Forum, the Korean Institute of Metals and Corrosion, Korea Energy Agency, and Korea Industrial Complex Corporation. Organizing partners included the GIST Next-Generation Energy Research Institute, Energy Valley Technology Institute, GIST Anchor Project Group, Jeonnam Technopark, Gwangju Technopark, and the Green Energy Institute.

Six experts from industry, academia, and research institutes in the battery sector participated as speakers. Through three sessions—market outlook and safety policy, next-generation applications and new technologies, and global vision and circular economy—they examined changes in the battery industry and the potential for new markets.

In the "Market Outlook and Safety Policy" session, Song Gil-mok, Program Director at the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, introduced the prospects for battery market applications and the role of safety. In addition, Lee Hyeon-cheol, Center Director at the Korea Automotive Technology Institute, presented the expansion of the battery industry and safety technology trends beyond automobiles to energy storage systems (ESS) and robotics.

Next, during the "Next-Generation Applications and New Technologies" session, Lim Seong-bin, Head of Division at Sebang Lithium Battery, discussed the challenges of advancing battery systems to meet new application areas. Ha Yun-cheol, Principal Researcher at the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute, presented the potential of all-solid-state batteries, which are drawing attention as an energy source for humanoids in the era of physical artificial intelligence (physical AI).

In the final "Global Vision and Circular Economy" session, Kim Hyeong-jin, Invited Distinguished Scholar of Chemistry at GIST, provided an overview of changes in the global battery industry and emerging markets. Woo Jung-je, Center Director at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER), introduced the possibilities for recycling and industrial use of batteries after their initial service life.

Following the presentations, a panel discussion was held under the theme "The Grand Transformation of the Battery Industry: Where Is the New Market?" The panel addressed major concerns in the industry, sharing opinions mainly on topics such as changes and safety in the battery market, the competitiveness of Korea's domestic industry, and directions for the development of next-generation batteries, based on questions received from forum participants in advance.

Kim Hyeong-jin, Invited Distinguished Scholar of Chemistry at GIST, highlighted the faster-than-anticipated changes in the battery market and predicted, "In the future, new technologies that complement the different characteristics of existing batteries will create new markets and business opportunities in diverse areas, including electric vehicles and energy storage systems."

Song Gil-mok, Program Director at the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning, suggested, "If batteries used in electric vehicles are repurposed for energy storage systems and this is developed into an industry, it could become a new competitive edge for Korea's battery industry."

Lee Kwang-hee, President of the Energy Valley Technology Institute, stated, "This forum allowed us to share insights on the rapidly changing global battery industry and to examine the possibilities for new markets and next-generation battery technologies, extending beyond electric vehicles to include energy storage systems and robotics. Moving forward, we will continue to create opportunities for exchange that connect regional businesses with new battery markets and business opportunities, as well as technologies and industries, based on collaboration among industry, academia, research institutes, and government."

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