The center of gravity in the secondary battery industry is shifting from electric vehicles (EVs) to all-solid-state batteries and energy storage systems (ESS). Samsung Asset Management said on the 25th that it will newly list the "KODEX All-solid-state Battery ESS TOP2 Plus ETF," which focuses on corporations related to all-solid-state batteries and ESS in line with these industry changes.
Amid a slowdown in secondary battery industry growth due to weakening EV demand, the ESS market is emerging as a new growth axis as power demand rises with the expansion of the artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. That is because the importance of ESS, which can store and supply electricity efficiently as data centers and AI infrastructure expand, is growing.
All-solid-state batteries are expanding their use in the Humanoid Robot and aerospace fields. All-solid-state batteries are evaluated as next-generation batteries that use solid electrolytes instead of the liquid electrolytes in conventional lithium-ion batteries, reducing fire risk and increasing energy density.
Samsung Asset Management is launching an ETF that focuses on corporations related to ESS and all-solid-state batteries in line with this industry trend. The ETF invests a total weight of 50% in Samsung SDI and LG Energy Solution, Korea's leading battery corporations. The two corporations have competitiveness in the ESS battery market and are leading the development of all-solid-state batteries.
Along with this, corporations with competitiveness within the all-solid-state battery and ESS value chains will also be included in the portfolio. In the all-solid-state battery sector, it will include key material corporations such as solid electrolytes, silicon anodes, and next-generation cathodes. In the ESS sector, it will diversify investments across related value chain corporations, including power conversion devices, large power equipment, system packaging, and battery manufacturing equipment.
Key holdings include ISU Specialty Chemical, Daejoo Electronic Materials, Lotte Energy Materials, L&F, LS Electric, Hyosung Heavy Industries, SeoJin System, and CIS.
Shin Hyun-jin, a manager at Samsung Asset Management, said, "This ETF is designed to focus on the next growth cycle of the battery industry by investing in all-solid-state battery material corporations and ESS core value chain corporations," and added, "It will be a good alternative for those seeking to invest in the structural growth of the battery industry, where demand is increasing beyond EVs to AI infrastructure, robots, and future mobility."