Highlights: From March 11 to 13, 2026, the 14th InterBattery 2026 was held at the COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul, South Korea. The exhibition is the largest and most representative battery industry event in South Korea, on par with China’s CIBF and CLNB. This year’s event attracted 667 exhibitors from 14 countries, including China, the US, Germany, and Japan, with a total of 2,382 booths. Against the backdrop of a phased adjustment in global power battery demand, all-solid-state batteries became the undisputed technological focal point, while the explosive potential of emerging application scenarios such as humanoid robots and urban air mobility (UAM) is redefining the evolution of next-generation battery technologies.
I. South Korea: The Three Giants Competed on the Same Stage, with Solid-State Batteries Fully Shifting Toward Emerging Applications
1. Samsung SDI
Product Launch: The company publicly unveiled for the first time a pouch all-solid-state battery sample designed for physical AI applications, such as humanoid robots, officially named “SolidStack.” The product adopted proprietary anode-free coating technology, achieving a smaller, lighter, and safer design while improving energy density.
Technology Roadmap: The company had previously focused on R&D of prismatic all-solid-state batteries for EVs. This time, it expanded into the pouch form factor, targeting applications across humanoid robots, aviation systems, and next-generation wearable devices.
Mass Production Plan: SolidStack all-solid-state batteries are expected to enter mass production in H2 2027.
Performance Highlights: The battery must meet robots’ requirements for compact size, high energy density, long operating time, and high output under instantaneous power peaks.
Other Exhibits: The company also launched the U8A1 uninterruptible power supply (UPS) battery for AI data centers, with energy density increased by 33%; an ultra-high-output cylindrical battery for server backup battery units (BBU), with standby time extended by more than 50%; and Samsung Battery Intelligence (SBI), an AI-based battery health diagnostic software solution.
2. LG Energy Solution
Product Launch: The company publicly displayed for the first time a physical battery cell of a sulphide-based all-solid-state battery, along with a display module model.
Technology Roadmap: It adopted a dual-track strategy differentiated by application scenario. Graphite-anode solid-state batteries will continue to use part of the existing lithium-ion battery material system and manufacturing processes, and are expected to achieve commercialization in EV applications around 2029; anode-free solid-state batteries, formed solely through the current collector structure, are mainly targeted at emerging markets such as humanoid robots, with commercialization targeted around 2030.
Future Outlook: Urban Air Mobility (UAM) is regarded as one of the key application markets for solid-state batteries.
3. SK On
Product Launch: The company highlighted next-generation battery technologies, with a focus on sulphide-based all-solid-state batteries, polymer-oxide composite batteries, and lithium metal batteries.
Process Breakthrough: Relying on a pilot plant completed in 2025, the sulphide-based all-solid-state battery introduced Warm Isostatic Pressing (WIP) pre-pressing technology to optimize interfacial resistance and current conduction, enabling stable charge-discharge performance and extending service life.
Technical Features: By combining oxide and polymer electrolytes, polymer-oxide composite batteries improve fire safety; lithium metal batteries use protective film technology to suppress side reactions, enhancing cycle life and calendar life.
On-Site Display: Samples and models were used to present solid-state battery manufacturing processes, packaging solutions, and advances in thermal management technology.
4. EcoPro (Battery Materials Enterprise)
Materials Progress: The company showcased all-solid-state battery materials technology and its development roadmap, and is currently working with clients to develop key materials such as sulphide solid electrolytes, cathode materials for solid-state batteries, and lithium metal anode materials.
Capacity Planning: In solid electrolytes, the company is securing a pilot production line with annual capacity of about 50 mt, and plans to advance product commercialization in 2027 according to client progress.
Client Lineup: During the exhibition, management teams from automakers including Hyundai Motor Group and Toyota, as well as battery companies such as Samsung SDI, SK On, LG Energy Solution, CATL, and Panasonic, visited the booth.
Outside-China Expansion: The company has built a cathode material plant in Debrecen, Hungary, and plans to start commercial production in 2026.
5. POSCO Future M
Materials Display: The company exhibited cathode material and anode material technologies for next-generation batteries, including the latest development trends in cathode materials for all-solid-state batteries and silicon anode materials.
International Cooperation: The company introduced the progress of its cooperation with US all-solid-state battery manufacturer Factorial.
6. Hana Technology (Equipment Enterprise)
Equipment Solution: The company launched a "full-process turnkey solution for all-solid-state batteries," integrating and supporting the entire all-solid-state battery manufacturing process, aiming to improve client equipment adoption by optimizing the efficiency of each process.
Smart Equipment: The company showcased the "HNX Smart Stacking e+" equipment integrating artificial intelligence technology, using AI edge computing to enable predictive maintenance, real-time quality monitoring, and refined process control.
Strategic Positioning: The company stated that it will build on the equipment technologies accumulated over 25 years since its establishment to showcase production innovation in the AI era and next-generation battery technologies.
II. China: WELION Leads the Full-Scenario Deployment of Solid-State Batteries
1. WELION New Energy
Exhibition Theme: Under the theme of “Empowering Full Scenarios with Solid-State Technology,” the company showcased its technology deployment in the power battery and ESS sectors.
Product Matrix: Exhibits covered drone batteries, NEV-supporting batteries, and ESS batteries, forming a product portfolio for multiple application scenarios.
Technical Report: The company released a themed report on the evolution of solid-state battery technology and the path to industrialisation, highlighting the advantages of solid-state batteries in safety and energy density, as well as their potential application space in the low-altitude economy, green mobility, and energy storage.
International Deployment: The company also appeared at related exhibitions at AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, aiming to strengthen exchanges with international clients and enterprises across the industry chain.
2. Hefei Hengli Equipment Co., Ltd. (Equipment Enterprise)
Exhibition Overview: As a representative of the lithium battery material sintering equipment industry, the company showcased its core products at its booth and conducted matchmaking exchanges with relevant South Korean enterprises on lithium battery equipment sales, application scenarios, and supply chain coordination.
Strategic Statement: The company stated that it would continue to strengthen technological innovation and international cooperation, export China’s solutions in intelligent lithium battery equipment, and support the high-quality development of the global battery industry.
3. Manst Dry Process Equipment
Manst (301325) showcased its core innovative lithium battery coating solutions, with a focus on the supporting equipment segment for solid-state batteries. It exhibited key products including the Model 400 dry film-forming and laminating integrated machine and dry-process twin-screw fibrillation equipment, overcoming challenges in dry film-forming quality and areal density uniformity, and building a complete equipment system for solid-state battery pole piece manufacturing; it also showcased an integrated slurry preparation and coating system and China’s first self-developed dual-layer, dual-controls ceramic coating die head, breaking through process barriers and adapting to diverse scenarios such as lithium batteries, solid-state batteries, and energy storage. At the same time, it continued to deepen its presence in the South Korean market, advancing the local implementation of its technology and providing robust equipment support for the industrialisation of solid-state batteries
III. Other Countries: US Company Becomes a Partner of South Korean Materials Supplier
Factorial Inc. (US)
Cooperation Update: The company drew attention during the exhibition through its partnership with POSCO Future M. POSCO Future M introduced the progress of its cooperation with Factorial, a US all-solid-state battery manufacturer.
IV. Summary
Looking across the solid-state battery displays by enterprises from various countries at InterBattery 2026, three major trends can be clearly identified:
First, application scenarios are reshaping technology pathways. At this exhibition, the “show stage” for solid-state batteries shifted from traditional EVs to emerging fields such as humanoid robots, urban air mobility (UAM), and backup power supplies for AI data centers. At a concurrent conference during the exhibition, Samsung SDI Research Institute President Rak Juyong projected that demand for batteries used in robots will surge from 1.4 GWh in 2030 to 138.3 GWh in 2040, while demand for batteries used in UAM will expand from 3.7 GWh in 2030 to 68.0 GWh in 2035. This dramatic shift in the demand structure is forcing battery enterprises to adopt a “scenario-specific roadmap” strategy: LG Energy Solution has clearly differentiated between two routes—graphite anodes (for vehicles) and anode-free designs (for robots)—while Samsung SDI is expanding from prismatic cells (for vehicles) to pouch cells (for robots), both of which reflect this trend.
Second, a three-way solid-state battery rivalry among China, Japan, and South Korea is beginning to take shape. Backed by the collaborative advantages of their domestic industry chain, South Korea’s three battery giants have demonstrated remarkable consistency in their mass production timetables (2027-2030) and have already targeted incremental markets such as robots and UAM; Chinese enterprises such as WELION New Energy, by contrast, are leveraging the vast application scenarios of the Chinese market to build advantages through product portfolios in niche segments such as drones and energy storage; US enterprises, meanwhile, are embedding themselves deeply into South Korea’s industry chain through materials innovation and technology licensing, such as the cooperation between Factorial and POSCO. Notably, the EcoPro booth drew visits from the management of leading Chinese and Japanese battery makers such as CATL and Panasonic, indicating that cross-border collaboration across the industry chain is accelerating.
Third, competition is extending from “battery cell competition” to “full-chain competition.” Another signal released at this exhibition is that solid-state battery competition has shifted from a contest focused solely on battery cell performance to a comprehensive rivalry spanning materials, equipment, processes, and software. The warm isostatic pressing pre-compression technology showcased by SK On, the AI battery health diagnostic software SBI launched by Samsung SDI, and the end-to-end turnkey solution introduced by Hana Technology all indicate that mass production processes and intelligent capabilities are becoming new moats. At the same time, breakthroughs by materials enterprises such as EcoPro and POSCO Future M in cutting-edge materials—including sulphide electrolytes, silicon anodes, and lithium metal anodes—are paving the way for the industrialisation of solid-state batteries.
Overall, the core message conveyed by InterBattery 2026 is that the industrialisation inflection point for solid-state batteries is approaching, and the trigger point may lie not in EVs, but in humanoid robots and the low-altitude economy. For battery enterprises, whoever can overcome the three major challenges of materials systems, manufacturing processes, and application-scenario fit during the 2027-2030 mass production window is expected to gain an early lead in the next-generation battery race.
SMM forecasts: all-solid-state battery shipments will reach 13.5 GWh in 2028, while semi-solid-state battery shipments will reach 160 GWh.
Demand: global lithium-ion battery demand will reach 2,800 GWh in 2030; CAGR from 2024 to 2030: EVs 11, energy storage 27, consumer electronics 10.
The global penetration rate of solid-state batteries was around 0.1% in 2025. It is expected that the penetration rate of all-solid-state batteries will reach around 4% by 2030, and the global penetration rate of solid-state batteries may approach 10% by 2035.
This article was compiled based on publicly available information, company announcements, and industry analysis, and is intended for informational reference only. It does not constitute any investment advice. Solid-state battery technology is still evolving rapidly, and readers should refer to the latest official releases for accurate information.
Note: If you have any additions regarding the details mentioned in this article or would like to discuss developments in solid-state batteries, please feel free to get in touch at any time. Contact details are as follows:
Tel: 021-20707860 (or add WeChat 13585549799) Yang Zhaoxing, thank you!
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