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Aug 12
South Korea elevates SMR to national strategy, boosts nuclear investment
The South Korean government has proposed adding small modular reactors (SMRs) to its national strategic-technology tax incentive program, a move backed by the country's nuclear industry. In a recent statement issued on behalf of its 561 member companies, the Korea Atomic Industrial Forum noted that the move would help reduce the financial burden on companies investing in R&D and equipment and lay the groundwork for a domestic SMR supply chain and global market expansion.
LG Energy Solution (LGES) and China's Jiangsu Lopal Tech have signed a three-year framework agreement covering up to CNY27 billion (approx. US$3.8 billion) in lithium iron phosphate (LFP) cathode material sales as the South Korean battery maker rapidly expands its energy storage system (ESS) business.

Seetel reported strong momentum in 2026 as large-scale energy storage projects and battery module shipments lifted revenue, while the Taiwan-based energy systems company moved to broaden its footprint in the US and Australia. The firm said its first seven months of revenue reached nearly NT$8.2 billion (US$254.4 million), supported by demand tied to AI data centers, virtual power plants and energy infrastructure.

Chinese authorities have announced that sodium-ion batteries will be exempt from consumption tax from September 2026 through the end of 2028, while lithium batteries will once again gradually face a 2% to 4% consumption tax. The new policy creates a 28-month "lithium-sodium tax gap" of about 2% to 4%, accelerating commercialization of sodium-ion batteries and drawing previously cautious downstream buyers into the market.

Solar and energy storage systems provider Hengs Technology reported a strong rebound in the first half of 2026, with revenue rising as large engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) projects entered their peak revenue-recognition period. The company said the momentum that began in the second quarter was driven by progress on major solar and storage contracts in Taiwan and overseas.
South Korean solar polysilicon supplier OCI Holdings is capitalizing on its increasingly scarce position as a non-China supplier, benefiting not only from growing solar demand from US AI data centers but also from a supply partnership with SpaceX that is extending its reach from terrestrial solar projects into space applications.
Hiwin, a major precision motion components maker, has accelerated its sustainability transformation in recent years and achieved two major milestones: it was included in the DJSI Emerging Markets Index in both 2024 and 2025, and in May 2026 it was ranked in the top 1% globally in the S&P Sustainability Yearbook. That makes it one of the highest-rated companies in Taiwan and the world in the machinery and electrical equipment sector.
AI infrastructure, memory supply, advanced packaging and US-China tech restrictions led this week's industry agenda. Below are the most-read DIGITIMES stories from the week of August 3-10, 2026.

Driven by global net-zero commitments and China's "dual carbon" goals of peaking carbon emissions before achieving carbon neutrality, Inner Mongolia is rapidly transforming from a traditional resource-based economy into a strategic hub for renewable energy and AI computing infrastructure.

China’s tighter renewable-energy compliance rules have opened the way for green hydrogen, green ammonia, and green methanol to be included in the country’s minimum renewable-energy consumption framework, amid a sharp rise in investment. In the first half of 2026, investment in China’s hydrogen sector increased by more than 160% year-on-year, outpacing the other cited energy infrastructure categories.
US President Donald Trump's new import rules on polysilicon, ingots, wafers, and solar products could ripple through global clean energy and semiconductor markets, affecting pricing, sourcing, and investment decisions far beyond the US. South Korean producers welcomed the measure, while analysts said it targets low-cost Chinese supply and could reshape competition.

Elon Musk's ambitions across AI, robotics and space infrastructure are moving into a new phase following the unveiling of Terafab, an ambitious semiconductor manufacturing complex designed to secure the compute capacity required by Tesla, SpaceX and xAI.