Strategic Intelligence: Batteries

Over the past decade, the battery industry has progressed sufficiently to enable portable consumer electronics, the mobile internet, the first electric vehicles (EVs), and the initial adoption of intermittent renewable power storage and generation. Batteries are attracting significant investor attention and will become one of the world’s most important industries over the next 10 years.

Key Highlights

• Demand for affordable, safe, high-performance batteries with low carbon footprints is increasing, but securing critical raw materials remains a major challenge. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions, particularly around China’s dominance in mining and refining, are pushing the US, Europe, and other economies to prioritize domestic supply chains, circular battery economies, and expanded recycling infrastructure. These moves are driven not just by sustainability concerns, but increasingly by energy security.
• In recent years, battery makers have been increasingly directing investments toward powering artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled data centers. These data centers rely on robust battery energy storage systems (BESSs) to manage power needs, maintain uptime, and reduce dependence on the grid. LG Energy Solution, Panasonic, Samsung SDI, and Tesla are all redirecting portions of their production to scale BESS capacity, with investments in various battery chemistries, major supply contracts, and new plants, to meet soaring data center demand.

Report Scope

• This report provides an overview of the batteries theme.
• It identifies the key trends impacting growth of the theme over the next 12 to 24 months, split into three categories: technology trends, macroeconomic trends, and regulatory trends.
• The detailed value chain discusses the core segments, including raw materials, smelting and refining, component makers, battery technologies, end markets, and end of life.

Reasons to Buy

• Batteries are sources of power, but they are also critical facilitators of many other technologies. They are integral to modern mobile lifestyles and the mass production of electric vehicles (EVs). Battery and energy storage technologies will be foundational in transitioning to renewable energy. This report provides an invaluable overview of the batteries theme, its challenges, and its potential impacts.