Korea’s Top Battery Makers to Showcase AI, ESS and Robotics Tech at InterBattery 2026

By SHIN JIA Posted : March 2, 2026, 13:45 Updated : March 2, 2026, 13:45
South Korea’s three major battery makers and key materials companies will take part in InterBattery 2026, the country’s largest battery and materials exhibition, to showcase battery technologies aimed at the AI era. With North American automakers scaling back electric-vehicle programs, the companies are looking to win early share in fast-growing markets such as energy storage systems, or ESS, and humanoid robots.
 
Artist’s rendering of LG Energy Solution’s InterBattery 2026 booth. [Photo provided by LG Energy Solution]

According to the industry on the 2nd, the Korea Battery Industry Association will hold InterBattery 2026 from March 11 to 13 at COEX in Seoul. The exhibition theme is “Original Innovator, Creating the Future of Energy.”

LG Energy Solution said it plans to highlight efforts to expand growth drivers beyond EVs into ESS, robotics and other industries, positioning itself as an “original innovator” that leads future energy tailored to customer needs.

The company said its booth will be organized into five zones, starting with a “hero zone” on battery history and future vision, followed by sections on energy infrastructure, mobility, robotics and drones, and future technologies.

LG Energy Solution plans to unveil ESS solutions optimized for power grids, along with a next-generation rack system for JP6 UPS using lithium iron phosphate, or LFP, for AI data centers, and a battery backup unit, or BBU, solution using high-output cylindrical batteries. It will also present examples of finished products in robotics and drones that use its batteries.
 
Artist’s rendering of SK On’s InterBattery 2026 booth. [Photo provided by SK On]
SK On, which the article said won more than 50% of volumes in a second ESS central procurement market worth about 1 trillion won, will also use the exhibition to broaden its business into ESS and robotics and speed up portfolio expansion.

SK On will introduce a high-energy-density LFP pouch battery for ESS, aligning with rising demand for large-capacity cells as the global ESS market seeks lower component costs and higher output. The company said it is conducting R&D to raise LFP battery energy density from 350 to 450Wh/L to about 500Wh/L.

It will also show robotics applications, including a Hyundai Wia logistics robot — an autonomous mobile robot, or AMR — equipped with a high-nickel NCM battery. The robot is used at industrial sites, including Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America, for logistics automation.

SK On said its booth will be divided into three areas: Leading Tech, Future Tech and Core Tech. The Leading Tech area will feature an “R&D studio” where visitors can experience battery design and manufacturing processes. The Future Tech area will display immersion cooling technology being jointly developed with SK Enmove, along with ultra-fast charging technology that the company said can charge a battery from 10% to 80% in seven minutes.
 
Artist’s rendering of Samsung SDI’s InterBattery 2026 booth. [Photo provided by Samsung SDI]
Samsung SDI will participate under the slogan “AI thinks, Battery enables,” presenting a vision it describes as “AI’s imagination, made real by batteries.”

The company said the centerpiece of its display will be ultra-high-output, high-quality battery technology for data centers, a key infrastructure for the AI era. Samsung SDI plans to exhibit battery solutions for uninterruptible power supplies, or UPS, and battery backup units, or BBU, emphasizing the role of ultra-high-output batteries in supporting “zero power gaps” for AI data centers.

It will also display “Samsung Battery Box,” an integrated battery solution for ESS that emphasizes environmental considerations and safety. Samsung SDI said it will introduce its all-solid-state battery technology, which it described as the heart of physical AI. The company said it plans to expand applications for its all-solid-state batteries — under development with mass production targeted for the second half of 2027 — to a range of physical AI uses, including humanoids, mobile robots and industrial robots.
 
Artist’s rendering of POSCO Future M’s InterBattery 2026 booth. [Photo provided by POSCO Future M]
POSCO Future M will also participate, showcasing next-generation cathode and anode materials. The company said it will highlight materials solutions tailored to the needs of devices such as autonomous-driving EVs, ESS and humanoid robots.

Its display will include development status and road maps for next-generation materials, including ultra-high-nickel cathodes with nickel content raised to more than 95% to improve driving range and stability for autonomous-driving EVs; LFP cathodes used in ESS and entry-level EVs for lower cost and long life; and materials for all-solid-state batteries and silicon anodes, which the company said are drawing attention as potential game changers for next-generation industries such as robotics due to high energy density.

An industry official said the exhibition is expected to show how the battery industry is expanding from an EV-centered focus to future industries including AI infrastructure and robotics. “At various booths, visitors will be able to see battery technologies applied to future industries firsthand,” the official said.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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