Synergy of Materials Expertise and Practical Experience
Expectations High for Mass Production Capabilities of "All-Solid-State" Batteries
Choi Joosun, CEO of Samsung SDI, who has consistently emphasized the importance of unrivaled competitiveness, has made a decisive move to appoint Vice President Joo Yongrak, a renowned battery scholar, as the new head of the research center in order to seize leadership in the next-generation battery market. This personnel decision is seen as a reflection of CEO Choi's strong determination to secure core source technologies for battery materials, which are the key to mass production of next-generation batteries.
According to the battery industry on December 30, Samsung SDI recently appointed Vice President Joo as the new head of its research center in its latest executive reshuffle. Vice President Joo is a global expert in battery materials with experience in both academia and industry. After graduating from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Seoul National University in 1989, he earned his master's and doctoral degrees from Stanford University in the United States and worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
In particular, he gained practical experience as a senior research engineer at Hanwha Chemical (now Hanwha Solutions) for six years, before being appointed as a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Cornell University in the United States, where he also served as vice dean of the College of Engineering. In 2023, he joined Samsung SDI as a specialist in the research center, leading the advanced materials team and spearheading efforts to secure core source technologies for next-generation battery materials.
CEO Choi, recognized as a technology expert within the group, has continuously stressed the importance of technology since taking office last year, stating that "our survival depends on securing future technological capabilities." On the company's anniversary in July, he remarked, "When I think about the reality we face, it sends chills down my spine," expressing a sense of crisis about the harsh market environment while calling for differentiated technological capabilities, the rebuilding of manufacturing competitiveness, and the normalization of electrode, assembly, and pack technologies. He views the temporary slowdown in electric vehicle demand-the so-called "EV chasm"-as an opportune time for research and development, and plans to prepare for the upcoming battery supercycle under the leadership of Vice President Joo.
Industry insiders expect that Vice President Joo's expertise in materials and hands-on experience will serve as a catalyst for Samsung SDI's mass production of all-solid-state batteries. Samsung SDI has set an ambitious goal of commercializing all-solid-state batteries by 2027. These batteries, which replace the internal electrolyte with a solid, are regarded as next-generation products that simultaneously enhance energy density and safety. With a commercialization target set two to three years ahead of competitors, the company is in a position where it must maximize its technological capabilities.
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