Korean Battery Giants Unveil Solid-State Technology for Robots, ESS

SEOUL — InterBattery 2026, South Korea's largest battery exhibition, opened Wednesday at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul, showcasing a competition ground for robots, drones, and artificial intelligence data centers. The battery industry is rapidly expanding into robotics, urban air mobility (UAM), and energy storage systems (ESS) to fill the gap created by the electric vehicle chasm — a temporary slowdown in demand.

Korea's three major battery makers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On — showcased breakthrough technologies led by solid-state batteries, dubbed "game changers," positioning themselves to lead the market with superior technology.

LG Energy Solution, Korea's largest battery company, unveiled its sulfide-based solid-state battery for the first time. The company aims to apply solid-state batteries optimized for next-generation applications, including humanoid robots, by 2030.

At LG Energy Solution's booth, LG Electronics' home robot "Cloyd," which drew attention at CES 2026, waved at visitors. Bear Robotics' autonomous robot "Carti100" was also displayed. Blood transport drones, aviation systems, and cube satellites developed in collaboration with K-Drone Alliance, representing Korea's drone industry, were also exhibited.

Samsung SDI also unveiled its first pouch-type solid-state battery sample for physical AI applications. The company plans to begin mass production of solid-state batteries in the second half of next year, targeting supply to robotics and aviation systems. SK On displayed Hyundai Wia's autonomous mobile robot (AMR), demonstrating its expansion potential into the robotics industry.

Battery materials company POSCO Future M exhibited a quadruped robot developed by POSCO Group. InterBattery also set up a dedicated "Humanoid Robot Pavilion" to highlight synergies and potential between robotics and the battery industry.

According to industry sources, global demand for robot batteries is projected to expand dramatically from 0.03 GWh last year to 1.4 GWh by 2030. UAM battery demand is also expected to grow to 3.7 GWh by 2030, then surge explosively to 68.0 GWh by 2035.

Another major theme at this year's InterBattery is ESS batteries for AI data centers. LG Energy Solution unveiled "JF2 DC LINK 5.0," a grid-scale ESS solution that won the battery category at InterBattery Awards 2026. As the first Korean battery manufacturer to adopt LFP (lithium iron phosphate) ESS batteries, the company achieved cost efficiency while significantly reducing fire risks. The company also debuted emergency power solutions supporting stable power supply for data centers, including LFP-based battery backup unit (BBU) solutions.

Samsung SDI exhibited its full lineup of Samsung Battery Box (SBB), its integrated ESS solution. The company will begin mass production of SBB 2.0 with LFP batteries in the second half of this year. It also unveiled ultra-high-output cylindrical battery technology for BBUs that extends standby time by more than 50% during power outages.

SK On showcased pouch-type ESS batteries with energy density improved by approximately 14-19% compared to conventional LFP batteries, emphasizing technological advancement as its core strategy. The company plans to capture market share with high-energy-density batteries and fire safety technology.

Eom Ki-cheon, Chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association and CEO of POSCO Future M, stated, "Production subsidies are being actively provided by other countries including China." He added, "The government and industry must work together to find solutions so that battery ecosystem companies do not leave for overseas and can sustain their operations domestically," emphasizing the need for government support for the industry.