[Interview] SES AI CEO Qichao Hu: "Mass Production of Drone Batteries at Chungju Plant from August... Targeting the U.S. Market"

Differentiation Through AI-Based Battery Development Platform
"Development Timeline Reduced from a Year to Just a Few Days"
Revenue Growth Expected in Three Key Areas: ESS, Drones, and Materials
Chungju Plant Conversion Complete... Up to 1

Qichao Hu, founder and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SES AI, is being interviewed by The Asia Business Daily. SES AI

"Utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in battery development can drastically shorten the development timeline compared to when it is done by human scientists."

On March 19, during an interview at a hotel in Seoul, Qichao Hu, founder and CEO of SES AI, spent a considerable amount of time highlighting the advantages of the company's AI-based battery development platform, "Molecular Universe (MU)."

Molecular Universe is an AI platform specialized in battery material development. Users can interact with the AI, which has been trained on an extensive database related to battery materials, to search for battery-related molecules that meet specific conditions. They can also design compositions using the identified molecules. SES AI explained that, by utilizing specialized machine learning models, it is possible to predict various characteristics such as cell end-of-life (EOL), state of indicators (SOX), and state of health (SOH).

To develop battery materials, developers must secure data through numerous experiments, design molecular structures based on this data, and then carry out verification. CEO Hu explained, "If humans were to carry out this process, it would take over a year, but in an AI-based automated laboratory, it can be completed in just a few days."

According to CEO Hu, while a developer might be able to test 15 samples a day, an automated lab can process up to 1,000. SNE Research, a secondary battery market research firm, analyzed that applying AI could reduce the battery development lead time by an average of 40%.

CEO Hu stated that the company plans to launch MU 2.0 soon, and that subsequent models such as MU 2.5 and MU 3.0 will be released through continuous updates. The subsequent models will also include content related to sodium-ion batteries (SIB), which have recently garnered significant interest in the battery industry.

SES AI is directly applying its AI capabilities to its businesses in energy storage systems (ESS), drones, and battery materials. The company plans to significantly expand its revenue this year through these three business areas.

SES AI has strengthened its competitiveness by integrating its AI-based battery management system into UZ Energy, a Chinese ESS company it acquired last year. This combines UZ Energy's ESS hardware design capabilities with SES AI's AI-driven software expertise.

SES AI is converting its electric vehicle battery plant in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, into a production line for drone batteries. CEO Hu stated, "The line conversion is almost complete," and added, "Starting in August, we will have the capacity to produce between 500,000 and 1 million drone cells annually." He also revealed, "We have already secured customers in both the United States and Europe."

The main target market for SES AI is the United States. The United States is moving to exclude China from its battery supply chain through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA for fiscal year 2026 explicitly includes a ban on the procurement of advanced batteries from certain foreign suppliers.

Accordingly, SES AI expects its Chungju plant to serve as a key base for a supply chain independent of China. CEO Hu explained, "The Chungju plant will produce both lithium-ion batteries and lithium-metal batteries for drones."

In the materials sector, SES AI plans to commercially produce electrolyte materials discovered via MU through a joint venture with the Chinese battery material company Hisun. Hisun has an annual production capacity of 150,000 tons. SES AI revealed that it has discovered six groundbreaking materials through MU, which are currently being tested by more than 40 customers.

SES AI is a next-generation battery startup founded in 2012 by CEO Hu, an MIT graduate. The company is headquartered in Boston, United States. It has attracted attention due to investments from Korean companies such as SK, Hyundai Motor Company, and LG.

CEO Hu explained, "Many companies that previously invested in electric vehicles are now shifting their focus to ESS and drone batteries," and added, "As the electric vehicle battery market transitions to a low-cost structure, ESS and drones have now become important markets."

SES AI recorded sales of 21 million dollars last year, approximately a tenfold increase from the previous year (about 2 million dollars). This growth was mainly driven by the ESS business. Operating loss improved to 82.61 million dollars, compared to 109.24 million dollars the previous year.

As of the end of 2025, the company has secured 200 million dollars in cash liquidity, maintaining a stable operating fund. This year, it is targeting sales of 30 million to 35 million dollars.

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