Shinhan's 'SOL All-Solid-State Battery & Silicon Anode Materials' Surpasses 40% Return Since Start of Year

The 'SOL All-Solid-State Battery & Silicon Anode Materials' Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) from Shinhan Asset Management has surpassed a 40% return since the beginning of the year. As the stock prices of humanoid robot-related companies have risen significantly, all-solid-state batteries, considered the next-generation energy source for robots, are being credited with leading the rebound in the secondary battery sector.

According to Shinhan Asset Management on January 28, the 'SOL All-Solid-State Battery & Silicon Anode Materials' ETF has risen 40.12% over the past month and 43.02% since the beginning of the year, recording a return at least 15 percentage points higher than major secondary battery ETFs. In addition, approximately 37 billion won in individual investor funds have flowed into the ETF over the past month, causing its net assets to more than double from 39 billion won to 103.3 billion won.

The SOL All-Solid-State Battery & Silicon Anode Materials ETF is a product that subdivides the secondary battery value chain, focusing on companies related to anode materials-which have received less attention compared to cathode materials, where technological advancement was highlighted earlier-and all-solid-state batteries, which are considered next-generation batteries. The ETF consists of 10 stocks, including ISU Specialty Chemicals (24.4%), Samsung SDI (20.1%), Daejoo Electronic Materials (12.5%), and Lotte Energy Materials (10.1%).

Kim Junghyun, Head of ETF Business at Shinhan Asset Management, explained, "Since robots have more limited space for battery installation compared to automobiles, higher energy efficiency is required, and thermal and physical stability to minimize fire risk in environments involving movement and impact is essential. From this perspective, the necessity of all-solid-state batteries is increasing."

He added, "Currently, the operating time for humanoid robots such as Optimus and Atlas is only about 3 to 4 hours, so it is believed that only when they can operate for more than 8 hours on a single charge will they be able to fully replace human labor."

All-solid-state batteries are known to target an energy density that is more than 50% higher than that of existing high-nickel batteries. In addition, while batteries for electric vehicles are priced at about $110 per kWh, all-solid-state batteries for robots are expected to be in the range of $600 to $800 per kWh, or 5 to 8 times higher, which suggests that their economic value could become significantly more prominent at the commercialization stage.

Kim further stated, "This year, with the rise of physical AI including humanoid robots, a full-scale reevaluation of the all-solid-state battery value chain within the secondary battery sector will begin. From 2027, as leading companies such as Samsung SDI begin mass production of all-solid-state batteries and cost reductions become visible due to factors such as falling lithium sulfide prices, the possibility of widespread adoption of all-solid-state batteries will also increase."

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