SEOUL — InterBattery 2026, Korea's largest battery exhibition, opened Wednesday at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, showcasing a battleground for robots, drones, and artificial intelligence data centers. The battery industry demonstrated rapid expansion into robotics, urban air mobility (UAM), and energy storage systems (ESS) to offset the temporary slowdown in electric vehicle demand.
Korea's three major battery makers — LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On — highlighted solid-state batteries, dubbed "game changers," unveiling breakthrough technologies aimed at maintaining their global lead.
LG Energy Solution, Korea's largest battery manufacturer, publicly revealed its sulfide-based solid-state battery for the first time. The company aims to deploy 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 on display. Blood transport drones, aircraft, and cube satellites developed in partnership with K-Drone Alliance, representing Korea's drone industry, were exhibited as well.
Samsung SDI unveiled its first pouch-type solid-state battery sample for physical AI applications. The company plans to begin mass production 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 expansion potential into the robotics sector.
POSCO Future M, a battery materials company, exhibited a quadruped robot developed by POSCO Group. InterBattery also set up a dedicated "Humanoid Robot Special Pavilion" to spotlight synergies and potential between robotics and the battery industry.
According to industry estimates, global demand for robot batteries is projected to surge from 0.03 GWh last year to 1.4 GWh by 2030. UAM battery demand is expected to reach 3.7 GWh by 2030 before explosive growth to 68.0 GWh by 2035.
Another key theme at this year's InterBattery was 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. It 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), an 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 revealed ultra-high-output cylindrical battery technology for BBUs that extends standby time by more than 50% during power outages.
SK On emphasized technological advancement, displaying pouch-type ESS batteries with energy density improved by approximately 14-19% compared to conventional LFP batteries. The company's strategy focuses on capturing market share through high energy density batteries and fire safety technology.
Eom Ki-cheon, chairman of the Korea Battery Industry Association and CEO of POSCO Future M, addressed the need for government support. "Production subsidies are being actively provided in other countries, including China," Eom said. "The government and industry must work together to find solutions so that battery ecosystem companies do not migrate overseas and can sustain the industry domestically."