China is increasingly viewing 2026 as the launch year for sodium-ion batteries, as the technology's cost advantages in the energy storage market become more visible. The latest analysis from Bernstein and Morgan Stanley says sodium batteries are no longer just a low-cost alternative to lithium batteries, but are emerging as a complementary technology alongside them.
China's sodium-ion battery sector is drawing intense attention as surging lithium carbonate prices lift lithium battery production costs. But Chinese media say the market is already showing a split between "big-company heat and small-company chill," and that large-scale production could expose new material shortages.
South Korea's hydrogen rail commercialization is entering the final stretch, with Hyundai Rotem, a unit of Hyundai Motor Group, building hydrogen trains equipped with Hyundai Motor's in-house fuel cell system. The first commercial service is expected as early as 2029, but a 2024 shutdown of hydrogen trains in Foshan, China has raised questions about economic viability.
A US emergency order to stabilize electricity supplies during an extreme heat wave has underscored a deepening structural imbalance in the country's power system. As aging grid infrastructure struggles to keep pace with rapidly rising AI-driven electricity demand, Taiwan's power equipment manufacturers are seeing stronger order momentum and extending backlog visibility in North America.
Schneider Electric, the French energy management and automation giant, announced that it has agreed to acquire Cognite, a Norwegian industrial data and AI software company, in an all-cash deal valued at US$3.1 billion. The deal is meant to reinforce the former's software line-up as it positions itself for a future of AI-powered industrial automation.
Walmart and Constellation Energy announced on June 23 that the retailer signed its first nuclear power purchase agreement, securing about 176 MW of zero-emission electricity from the Dresden Clean Energy Center in Illinois. The deal comprises two 15-year contracts that include 30 MW of new generation capacity and are scheduled to begin in 2029 and 2030.
Optical film and nano-coating materials developer Victory For Technology (VFT) is focusing on three key areas — AI and semiconductor processes, foldable displays, and key new-energy materials — as it deepens R&D and product deployment to capture emerging opportunities in the global supply chain.
The US Department of Defense has expanded its list of Chinese military companies, adding major battery, electric vehicle, solar, memory, sensor, and robotics firms. The move came as Contemporary Amperex Technology Ltd. (CATL) disclosed lithium-air battery research, underscoring how Chinese companies are responding to mounting policy pressure.
