CATL's negative outlook for the commercialization of solid-state batteries is due to two huge barriers: technological maturity and cost-effectiveness. Currently, all-solid-state technology remains at the laboratory-level prototype stage, and the ultra-high pressure process to overcome solid-solid interfacial resistance has a fatal flaw that shortens battery life during mass production. Chairman Zen pointed out that there are many hurdles to overcome before establishing a mass production system of 1 million units, and believes that upgrading the existing liquid electrolyte platform is reasonable for the time being in terms of industrial efficiency. This forces us to face the cold reality that all-solid-state technology will initially only be applied to a very small number of premium electric vehicle models.

In order to overcome these technological limitations, CATL is rushing to improve its structure to become a 'comprehensive energy solution company' beyond a simple battery manufacturer. It is a very symbolic move to recently invest large amounts of money into AI startups such as DeepSeek and lead a seed investment in Betafusion, a nuclear fusion technology startup. This is because, as demand for AI computing rapidly increases, there is an underlying belief that stably supplying the enormous power required for data center operations will become a market that is 10 times larger than the battery supply business in the future. Now, CATL is demonstrating its ambition to vertically integrate the entire energy production and supply process by using batteries as storage devices (ESS) and further securing next-generation clean energy power generation sources such as nuclear fusion.

Geopolitical conflict surrounding the global battery supply chain is also a key variable shaking the industry landscape. The United States believes that China's battery dominance is directly related to military security, and is putting its life and death into building an independent supply chain through cooperation with Korean companies. In particular, Korea's refining and smelting capabilities, such as Korea Zinc and POSCO, are pointed out as a key link in the 'dual-use battery strategy' promoted by the United States. As China's offensive intensifies, comprehensive cooperation between the United States and its allies, from minerals to material production, will be strengthened, and this is expected to go beyond simple competition between companies and expand into a competition to secure strategic assets at the level of national security.

Strategic choices by automakers such as GM and Ford are also accelerating these changes. While Ford chose to rely on technology from China's CATL, GM is using a strategy to overcome IRA regulatory risks head-on by developing its own sodium-ion batteries and establishing a production base in Michigan. In particular, sodium ion batteries are expected to demonstrate strong competitiveness in the BESS market based on inexpensive raw materials and excellent low-temperature performance. This suggests that the future battery market will break away from a single system centered on lithium and be reorganized into a multipolar ecosystem where batteries of various chemical combinations coexist depending on usage and economic feasibility.