Pohang City Accelerates Development of the 'Dream New Material Graphene' Industry to Lead the Global Market!

Global 'Graphene Square' Breaks Ground on Pohang Plant in Blue Valley Industrial Complex

Mayor Lee Kangdeok: "Actively Fostering the Graphene Industry Ecosystem, Leading the Graphene Sector"

On the 14th, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Pohang factory of the global graphene leading company 'Graphene Square' was held at the Change Up Ground Media Hall in Pohang.

Graphene Square, a global leading company in graphene, broke ground for its Pohang factory on the 14th.

The ceremony was attended by around 50 people, including Pohang Mayor Lee Kangdeok, representatives from companies such as Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, POSCO Holdings, as well as officials from regional R&D institutions such as Gyeongbuk Economic Promotion Agency, Pohang Technopark, Pohang Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, and Pohang University of Science and Technology, all celebrating the groundbreaking of Graphene Square's Pohang factory.

Graphene, known as the 'dream new material,' is a honeycomb-structured carbon material that conducts electricity more than 100 times better than copper and enables electrons to move over 100 times faster than silicon used in semiconductors.

In particular, graphene materials are attracting attention in various application industries such as renewable energy, electric vehicle batteries, quantum computers, and bio-pharmaceuticals. Pohang City has recognized graphene early on as an advanced new material to lead the future and has been accelerating efforts to foster the graphene industry for sustainable economic development.

Starting with the signing of a business agreement in 2021 among Pohang City, Graphene Square, POSCO, POSTECH, and Pohang Institute of Industrial Science and Technology, the city established the 'Pohang Graphene Valley Development Strategy' last year, proactively preparing to secure a leading position in the global graphene market and successfully commercialize graphene technology based on industry-academia-research-government cooperation in the Pohang region.

Graphene Square is the world's first company to realize and commercialize large-scale graphene synthesis technology and apply it to everyday life.

Despite the high production costs associated with the commercialization of graphene materials, Graphene Square is leading the field of mass production and commercialization of graphene based on the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene synthesis technology, which was first reported in the world-renowned academic journal 'Nature.'

Graphene Square's technological prowess has already been recognized worldwide, with over 80 universities and research institutions around the globe requesting graphene samples, and the company holds more than 80 international patents related to manufacturing.

Thanks to these achievements, in 2022, Graphene Square's 'Graphene Kitchen Styler' was selected as one of TIME magazine's 'Best Inventions of the Year.' The company's 'Graphene Radiator' won the 'Best of Innovation' award in the home appliance category at CES 2023, and its 'Rechargeable Multi-Cooker' received the 'Innovation Award' at CES 2024, garnering global attention.

The Graphene Square Pohang factory, located within the Blue Valley Industrial Complex, will be built on a site of 33,124 square meters with a total floor area of 6,803 square meters. It is scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2025, with full-scale production of graphene film planned to begin in the third quarter.

Hong Byunghee, CEO of Graphene Square, said, "Graphene is a technology that will revolutionize not only industries but also our daily lives with its limitless applications. Graphene Square will do its utmost to secure a leading position in the global market under the goal of delivering value to the world through graphene."

Mayor Lee Kangdeok stated, "It is highly meaningful that a graphene commercialization factory is being established in Pohang, a city that has led Korea's industrial innovation in areas such as K-Steel and K-Battery. We will focus our administrative capabilities on actively fostering the graphene industry ecosystem so that Pohang can become a world-leading city in the graphene industry."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.