Gumi-si Emerges as the Nation's Only 'All-Sector Battery Evaluation City'

Establishing an AI-Based Evaluation and Reuse Support Infrastructure for Used Batteries

Gumi-si in Gyeongbuk has become the only city in the country equipped with the infrastructure to diagnose and evaluate batteries used in all industrial sectors, including not only electric vehicles but also energy storage systems (ESS), agricultural machinery, ships, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

A panoramic view of 1st Industrial Complex, Gumi-si, Gyeongbuk.

In the public contest for the "2025 Industrial Innovation Infrastructure Construction Project" organized by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the "AI-Based Used Battery Evaluation and Reuse Support Infrastructure Construction Project" was finally selected, securing a total project budget of 23.3 billion won (10 billion won from the national government, 2.7 billion won from the provincial government, 6.3 billion won from the city government, and 4.3 billion won from private investment).

The core of this project is to establish an AI-based customized evaluation infrastructure for batteries used in a variety of fields beyond electric vehicles, covering everything from data collection to precision diagnostics, safety testing, and reuse evaluation. Gumi-si plans to provide data to related companies and support prototype production and technology commercialization through this initiative.

The project will be carried out over five years, from 2025 to 2029. A new "Reuse Battery AI Platform Center" will be constructed on a site near the "baas (battery as a service) Test and Demonstration Center," which is currently being established in the 1st Gumi National Industrial Complex. Eight types of core equipment for battery diagnosis, verification, and application-specific reuse evaluation will be introduced in phases.

This project is also linked to the ongoing "baas Demonstration Infrastructure Construction Project." The scope of history management, previously limited to electric vehicle batteries, will be expanded to include ESS and other non-vehicle sectors, and active support will be provided for the activation of the "2nd Life Cycle" market, which focuses on recycling used batteries.

The baas Test and Demonstration Center is currently scheduled for completion in November this year. The project’s lead organization, the Korea Testing & Research Institute (KT), will relocate and expand its Daegu-Gyeongbuk headquarters to Gumi after the center is completed.

Subsequently, one-stop services for testing, issuance, and certification, including metal materials, construction materials, and in-house batteries, will be provided. Research and development projects and customized support programs for small and medium-sized enterprises within the Gumi Industrial Complex will also be promoted.

Mayor Kim Jangho stated, "For the used battery industry, securing data in advance and discovering business models are more important than anything else," adding, "By establishing the baas Test and Demonstration Center and the Reuse Battery AI Platform Center in connection, we will make Gumi the center of the used battery industry."

He further emphasized, "We will concentrate all administrative capabilities on laying the foundation for the region’s future industries."

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