Samsung SDI’s Pivot to Robots Signals the Next EV Battery Frontier
Hyundai and Samsung SDI are deepening their battery alliance beyond EVs into robotics — a move that could reshape Korea's battery supply chain and signal where the next growth chapter begins for giants that built their empires on car batteries.
The GV90 is hiding a bigger story
When Genesis unveiled the GV90 at a San Francisco premiere on August 19, the headlines focused on what was supposed to be a luxury milestone: South Korea’s most expensive domestic electric SUV, packing a 123.5kWh battery — the largest in Hyundai Motor Group’s EV lineup. Range estimates sit around 500 kilometers. Quick charge from 10% to 80% in 22 minutes. The specs are competitive.
But the detail Western analysts are likely to miss first is what powers it.
The GV90 runs on Samsung SDI batteries. This is Hyundai’s third vehicle to use Samsung SDI cells this year, and the first time the cell supplier has been placed under a Genesis badged model — a brand positioned squarely against the Lexus and Mercedes of the EV world. The two previous applications, the Kia EV2 and the Ioniq 3, were Europe-only launches. The GV90 is not.
That sequencing matters.
A six-year courtship that finally paid off
The relationship traces back to a May 2020 meeting between Samsung Electronics Chairwoman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Chung Euisung at Samsung SDI’s Cheonan facility. Chung then visited Samsung’s Namyang R&D center in July that year. Three years and multiple rounds later, they signed a supply contract in 2023, committing Samsung SDI to deliver batteries for Hyundai’s next-generation European EVs through 2032.
For over a decade, Hyundai’s EVs ran on pouch-type cells from LG Energy Solution and SK On. Samsung SDI’s prismatic cells were considered less compatible with Hyundai’s pack architecture. That changed when the partnership got serious attention at the chairman level. The industry consensus is that those 2020 meetings were the real turning point — not the 2023 contract, which was the paperwork catching up to something already in motion.
The P6 cell now going into the GV90 is Samsung SDI’s premium NCA line, with nickel content pushed to 91% and a silicon-anode formulation designed to maximize energy density. It is a deliberate bet on higher-density chemistry at a time when range anxiety is still a primary purchase barrier in the premium segment.
The real pivot: robots
The more consequential signal came embedded in Samsung SDI’s Q2 earnings call, not the GV90 launch.
Samsung SDI told investors it is actively expanding its battery business into humanoid robots, aerospace, and space applications — and that it is in specific negotiation stages with customer companies for humanoid robot all-solid-state batteries. The target is mass production by late 2027.
Hyundai is the obvious first customer. The company has already supplied batteries for Hyundai’s “Momede” mobility platform, and it has publicly stated it will begin deploying Boston Dynamics’ Atlas humanoid robots for parts-sorting operations at its factories starting in 2028. Atlas does not run on conventional EV cells. It runs on something denser, safer, and more cycle-resistant — which is precisely what all-solid-state electrolytes promise, if they can be manufactured at scale.
Samsung SDI is not the only Korean supplier making this pivot. LG Energy Solution and SK On have both announced solid-state programs. But Samsung SDI’s head start on a Hyundai partnership — and Hyundai’s willingness to integrate its cell supplier into its robotics roadmap — gives it a structural advantage in the near term.
Who wins, who loses
Hyundai gains a second source for its highest-margin EVs, reducing its historical dependency on LG Energy Solution. The GV90 and future Genesis models now have a domestic cell supplier with a proven track record on prismatic design. Samsung SDI gains access to Hyundai’s robotics roadmap, which is essentially a long-duration contracts note wrapped in a partnership announcement.
LG Energy Solution loses ground in Hyundai’s portfolio. It supplied pouch cells for the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 6, and E-GMP platforms. Samsung SDI’s encroachment into Hyundai’s premium segment — starting with the GV90 — narrows LG’s addressable volume inside one of the world’s largest automakers. The geometry is clear: Samsung SDI enters at the high end, and the volume below it is where LG still dominates.
Tesla remains the wildcard. Its 4680 prismatic cell, produced in-house and at Panasonic, sits outside this Korean duopoly entirely. The Hyundai-Samsung SDI alliance does not directly challenge Tesla’s supply chain — but it does reinforce the argument that vertically integrated cell production remains a competitive moat, one that Samsung and Hyundai are now trying to build together instead of separately.
What happens next
Two milestones to watch.
First, Samsung SDI’s all-solid-state battery pilot line, targeted for late 2027. If the company hits that date with a viable cell, Hyundai’s Atlas deployment schedule in 2028 becomes credible. If it slips, the robot battery thesis stays theoretical — and the Korean cellmakers’ premium pricing power erodes against Chinese solid-state entrants who are moving faster on materials science, even if they lack automotive-grade manufacturing scale.
Second, the GV90’s sales trajectory. If Genesis moves enough GV90 units, Samsung SDI’s P6 line gains visibility and validation that will make it easier to pitch to non-Hyundai customers — including potential OEMs in North America and Europe who are diversifying away from LG and SK On. If GV90 underperforms, Samsung SDI’s premium-cell positioning gets tested, and Hyundai may quietly keep its higher-volume models with LG.
The broader implication is that Korean battery giants are no longer just supplying carmakers. They are being pulled into the automation value chain — a sector where battery density, safety, and cycle life are even more critical than in EVs. The companies that turn their automotive cell expertise into robotic power solutions first will define the next phase of the Korean battery industry. The rest will be reacting.
This partnership between Samsung SDI and Hyundai is not just a supply deal. It is a bet on what comes after the EV battery cycle — and that cycle may already be peaking in the West while Korea is still building its next chapter.