[Special Stock] DSC Inbe, Spotlight on Investment in SM Lab Developing World's First '98% High-Nickel Cathode Material'

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyungsoo Park] The stock price of DSC Investment is soaring. It appears that the news of SM Lab, which made an early investment, raising the performance of cathode materials for electric vehicle batteries to an all-time high level has influenced the stock price.

At 9:45 a.m. on the 19th, DSC Investment was trading at 6,000 won, up 21.91% from the previous day.

SM Lab, founded by Professor Jaepil Cho of the Department of Energy Chemical Engineering at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), announced that it developed cathode materials for electric vehicle batteries with cobalt content reduced to less than 1% and nickel content increased to 98%.

Nickel (Ni) content is a factor that determines battery capacity, and the development of cathode materials with nickel content increased to 98% was reported for the first time. Nickel (Ni) content is a factor that determines battery capacity, and the development of cathode materials with nickel content increased to 98% is the world's first. While increasing battery capacity, unlike commercial cathode materials, the cathode materials were made in a single-crystal form and a new ceramic-based coating material was applied to improve lifespan and safety.

It is a known fact that reducing cobalt content and increasing nickel content improves battery efficiency relative to cost, but there were limitations in implementation. The three domestic battery companies also presented at this year's 'The Battery Conference' that the maximum nickel content theoretically feasible for mass production is 94%.

Professor Jaepil Cho proudly stated, "SM Lab succeeded in developing cathode materials with 98% nickel content two years ahead of competitors," and added, "We plan to verify mass production in early 2022."

He also said, "We are reviewing plans to supply directly to an overseas automobile company." The goal is commercialization in the first quarter of next year. Currently, the production capacity is about 20 kg per day, and it plans to increase to 21,600 tons annually by July 2023.

The development of 98% high-nickel cathode materials is expected to cause immediate upheaval in the domestic market. Companies currently dividing the high-nickel cathode material market have not reached mass production of cathode materials with nickel content above 90%.

DSC Investment made early investments in five of the 20 preliminary unicorn companies selected by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2021. These include ▲Law&Company (platform) ▲Rokit Healthcare (bio) ▲SM Lab (secondary electronics) ▲TeamFresh (logistics) ▲Clover Games (games). It is interpreted that expectations for DSC Investment’s ability to discover and execute investments influenced the stock price.