‘InterBattery 2026,’ the largest battery exhibition in Korea, held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on March 11, served as a showcase for robots, drones, and artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. The battery industry demonstrated rapid expansion into areas such as robotics, urban air mobility (UAM), and energy storage systems (ESS) to fill the gap caused by the electric vehicle chasm (temporary demand slowdown).
Korea’s three major battery companies—LG Energy Solution, Samsung SDI, and SK On—put all-solid-state batteries, dubbed “game changers,” at the forefront, unveiling a stream of cutting-edge technologies to lead the market.
LG Energy Solution, Korea’s largest battery company, unveiled its sulfide-based all-solid-state battery for the first time. The company set a goal of applying all-solid-state batteries optimized for next-generation applications, including humanoid robots, by 2030.
At LG Energy Solution’s booth, LG Electronics’ home robot ‘CLOi,’ which recently garnered attention at ‘CES 2026,’ waved to visitors, while Bear Robotics’ autonomous robot ‘Carti 100’ was also on display. A blood transport drone developed in collaboration with K-Drone Alliance, representing Korea’s drone industry, as well as aviation and cube satellites, were also exhibited.
Samsung SDI also unveiled its pouch-type all-solid-state battery sample for physical AI for the first time. Samsung SDI has set a goal to begin mass production of all-solid-state batteries in the second half of next year and supply them to robots and aviation systems. SK On displayed Hyundai Wia’s autonomous mobile robot (AMR), demonstrating its potential for expansion into the robotics industry.
POSCO Future M, a battery materials company, exhibited a quadruped robot developed by POSCO Group. InterBattery itself also set up a ‘Humanoid Robot Special Pavilion’ to spotlight the synergy effects and potential between the robotics and battery industries.
According to industry sources, global demand for robot batteries is projected to expand significantly from 0.03 GWh last year to 1.4 GWh by 2030. Demand for UAM batteries is also expected to grow to 3.7 GWh by 2030, then show explosive growth to 68.0 GWh by 2035.
Another overarching 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 the ‘InterBattery Awards 2026.’ As the first domestic battery manufacturer to adopt LFP (lithium iron phosphate) ESS batteries, the company achieved cost-effectiveness while significantly reducing fire risks. The company also introduced for the first time an emergency power solution supporting stable power supply for data centers, including LFP-based battery backup unit (BBU) solutions.
Samsung SDI exhibited the full lineup of its integrated ESS solution, Samsung Battery Box (SBB). Samsung SDI will begin mass production of SBB 2.0 with LFP batteries in the second half of this year. Additionally, the company unveiled its ultra-high-power cylindrical battery technology for BBU, which extends standby time by more than 50% during power outages.
SK On emphasized technological advancement at this exhibition by displaying pouch-type ESS batteries with approximately 14–19% improved energy density compared to conventional LFP batteries. The company’s strategy is to capture the market by leveraging high-energy-density batteries and fire safety technology.
