Choi Joo-sun, CEO of Samsung SDI, said, "Mass production of 46mm (diameter 46mm cylindrical battery) will start soon."
On the 5th, Choi met with reporters at the country's largest battery industry exhibition, "Interbattery 2025," held at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul. He noted, "We secured specific customers and conducted sample tests. While I cannot specify the customer companies, mass production will start soon as well."
Choi was appointed as the CEO of Samsung SDI at the end of last year. Regarding his feelings upon taking office, he said, "Although the operating history is short, I have experience in semiconductor, display, and battery fields," adding, "the battery industry is facing many competitors, and the customers are diversified, making it considerably affected by environment, policy, and tariffs, which present difficulties. Nonetheless, what remains unchanged is our technical capability."
Regarding plans to establish a standalone battery plant in North America, he said, "This year, front-end demand has worsened considerably, so we are viewing it conservatively. For the mid to long term, it must grow, so we are internally reviewing it intensely. It will be specified later."
On performance improvement, he noted, "The chasm (demand slowdown) seems to persist for a while. It will be difficult until the first half of next year," adding, "I expect the first quarter of this year to be the low point, and from the second quarter we will gradually recover. We will strive to improve in the second half."
At this exhibition, Samsung SDI showcased the No Thermal Propagation technology, which has recently completed commercialization application review, as well as all-solid-state batteries (ASB) and Cell to Pack products, focusing on promoting the safety of its main form factor, prismatic batteries.
Particularly recognized as a global industry leader in all-solid-state battery technology, Samsung SDI supplied samples to numerous customers at the end of last year for evaluation and is currently preparing the next stage of samples, aiming for commercialization in 2027.
Interbattery is hosted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and co-organized by the Korea Battery Industry Association (KIBA), COEX, and the Korea International Trade Association. Having started in 2013, this year marks the 13th event.