Samsung SDI to Invest ₩25 Trillion in Next-Gen Batteries, Pushing Full-Scale Solid-State Production

On July 5, Samsung SDI announced it will invest a total of KRW 25 trillion (approximately RMB 110.075 billion) across its two major production bases in Ulsan and Cheonan to expand capacity for next-generation batteries. Of this amount, KRW 16 trillion will be allocated to the Ulsan manufacturing complex and KRW 9 trillion to the Cheonan facility. The investment plan, disclosed on July 3, spans 14 years, with funding to be deployed continuously through 2040. The Ulsan plant will house mass-production lines for all-solid-state batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for energy storage systems (ESS), and sodium-ion batteries, positioning it as Samsung SDI’s core hub for next-generation battery production. Mass production of all-solid-state batteries is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2024. Meanwhile, the Cheonan site will serve as the group’s global “mother factory,” featuring pilot production lines for validating next-generation battery technologies along with supporting R&D facilities. The site has already launched a dry-electrode pilot line, DryEV, aimed at overcoming cost limitations associated with conventional wet-electrode processes. This investment forms part of Samsung Group’s broader plan, unveiled on June 29, to invest KRW 265.5 trillion in South Korea over the next decade. Of this, KRW 210.6 trillion is earmarked for the semiconductor sector, while Samsung Display plans to invest KRW 6.7 trillion in its Asan campus in South Chungcheong Province.