Li Auto wants control of its batteries, whoever makes the cells

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Li Auto is making in-house battery development a central part of its vehicle strategy. Its executives said any battery manufacturer can participate, provided it meets Li Auto’s technical requirements and shares data and product specifications.

When the automaker first publicly addressed questions about its batteries in June, the debate centered on why it was developing them and whether they would be reliable. At a recent two-hour media briefing, the discussion shifted to how automakers’ involvement in battery development could reshape the supply chain.

Li Auto president Ma Donghui, senior vice president of vehicle electrification R&D Liu Liguo, and battery R&D head Liu Zhimin said at least three times that they welcomed any battery maker willing to work within the company’s system.

Li Auto began its broader rollout of batteries developed in-house with the new-generation Li L8 this year, followed by models including its flagship electric Li Mega and Li i9. The shift caused Li Auto to drop out of CATL’s top five customers in August, according to 36Kr.

Previously, CATL supplied the vast majority of Li Auto’s vehicle batteries, with Sunwoda serving as a second supplier. At its peak, Sunwoda’s share of Li Auto’s battery supply was only about 30%, according to 36Kr.

According to 36Kr, securing large shares of major customers’ orders has helped CATL maintain a market share of more than 40%. Li Auto’s shift therefore threatens CATL’s position with the automaker.

Under this model, Li Auto leads cell design and R&D, while battery manufacturers such as Sunwoda and CALB produce the cells under contract. At the pack level, Li Auto develops, designs, and produces the battery management system (BMS), thermal management system, and even insulation materials. CATL is absent from Li Auto’s current list of partners for batteries developed in-house.

Ma told 36Kr and other media outlets that in-house battery development was a firm strategic choice, with no alternative partnership model as a backup.

Liu Liguo added that every future supplier would have to develop customized products within Li Auto’s system. “Whatever the price, they must meet our requirements.”

That presents a structural challenge for CATL. Its Qilin battery for the premium market is an integrated pack solution: CATL integrates and supplies the cells, the complete pack, and components including thermal protection.

According to 36Kr, CATL has not previously supplied Qilin as separate components, partly to protect its IP, and it gives automakers limited access to battery production data.

That conflicts with Li Auto’s approach: leading cell development, making its own packs, and sharing data throughout battery production. To rejoin Li Auto’s supplier network on those terms, CATL would need to open up its battery system, share underlying data, and accept a cell-only supply arrangement. For a battery company whose market value once approached RMB 2 trillion (USD 298.2 billion), that would represent a substantial change in its business model.

Ma said Li Auto bears primary responsibility for vehicle safety. Without access to production data, it cannot fully understand the battery’s manufacturing and operating history.

The company sees three benefits: sharing data with cell makers can provide earlier safety warnings; making packs itself can improve coordination among cells, thermal management, electric drive, and charging; and common after-sales standards place responsibility with Li Auto, sparing customers disputes between the automaker and battery supplier.

CEO Li Xiang has said the strategy began in 2020. Li Auto’s battery R&D team now has more than 300 people. It has spent more than RMB 200 million (USD 29.8 million) annually on battery R&D over the past six years, bringing cumulative spending to more than RMB 1 billion (USD 149.1 million), excluding fixed assets such as laboratories.

Li Auto has also deepened its ties with Sunwoda’s electric vehicle battery business, Sunwoda EVB, through equity investment. It first invested in 2022. A further investment announced in September would make it the unit’s second largest shareholder upon completion.

Liu Liguo said batteries jointly developed with Sunwoda had been delivered in vehicles since 2022 and were installed in 420,000 vehicles at the time of the briefing.

“Their after-sales quality performance is every bit as good as the products of any battery supplier. For the products available today, I do not think there is any gap,” he said. That record has given Li Auto confidence to roll out its own batteries across its vehicles.

Liu Zhimin said the company’s R&D, control standards, and artificial intelligence-driven inspection systems had brought the rate of manufacturing defects escaping detection down to the parts-per-billion (PPB) level.

Other automakers are pursuing similar approaches. Xiaomi has its Longjia battery, while Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA) has its “giant whale” battery. Leapmotor has moved into battery manufacturing through a joint venture.

Automakers want greater involvement in battery development and control over the full range of battery technologies. CATL, meanwhile, is building branded products that command a premium. The industry will have to accommodate both ambitions, even where they conflict.

The following transcript has been edited and consolidated for brevity and clarity.

Q: Why is Li Auto developing its own batteries? What are the main benefits?

Ma Donghui (MD): In 2020, Li Auto decided to develop its own battery electric platform. We believe new energy vehicle users care less about the battery brand than about the capabilities behind it, such as safety, range, and charging. In-house development is intended to address those issues systematically.

First, it connects data across components, the vehicle, and the user. We can understand battery usage and lifetime trends in advance. If production parameters become abnormal, we can issue an early warning. Ideally, we would identify problems before a battery is installed in a vehicle and delivered, instead of discovering risks only after it reaches the customer.

Second, the battery does not exist in isolation. It is closely connected to the thermal management, electric drive, and charging systems. Only by designing them as a whole can we truly optimize the experience of using the vehicle. We believe future intelligent EVs should not treat batteries, electric drive, and thermal management as separate modules. The allocation of functions and how they work together will change profoundly.

Third, it connects product specifications, service standards, and the after-sales service system. There are still difficulties in after-sales repairs. Automakers, users, and battery companies may apply different criteria to issues such as declining range. When a quality problem occurs, is it an integration issue, a cell issue, a pack issue, or a software issue? In-house development means that if quality standards are not met, users do not need to work out which part of the process is responsible. Li Auto takes full responsibility.

Q: What are Li Auto’s goals for in-house batteries? How large is the gap with CATL?

Liu Liguo (LL): Our battery investment is highly focused.

Other battery companies need to work on multiple systems, including energy storage and sodium batteries, while meeting different customers’ requirements for 2C, 4C, 5C, and higher charging rates. They have many product lines and invest heavily. We focus on just one category, 5C ultrafast charging. That focus is what allows us to develop the technology in depth.

The battery team does not work alone throughout R&D, either. Materials work focuses on cathodes and anodes. At the pack level, there are issues such as heat dissipation. The vehicle materials and thermal management departments also work together to support the effort.

Our investment in an individual product is no smaller than that of any other company.

As for actual products, batteries we developed and specified in-house, with Sunwoda manufacturing them under contract, have been on the market since the first-generation Li L8 and Li L7. They are now installed in 420,000 vehicles, and their after-sales quality performance is every bit as good as that of any battery supplier’s products. For the products available today, I do not think there is any gap.

But in emerging technologies, such as the ability to develop solid-state batteries, there is indeed still a fairly large gap between us and CATL. We acknowledge that openly.

CATL aims to lead the entire field. Our current strategy remains driven by the product experience. Our strategies and scale of investment differ, so naturally the technology we have developed differs too. But for today’s products, our past R&D and validation through deliveries of 420,000 vehicles mean our performance is every bit as good.

Q: Many automakers are putting their own batteries into vehicles, but most have yet to answer one question: is in-house development a backup or the only future route? If this model of in-house development and contract manufacturing expands, will it include all battery makers, including CATL? Or could CATL remain a separate, parallel route if it lowers its prices?

MD: I am not entirely clear on other automakers’ thinking, but Li Auto’s direction is very firm. Starting with the all-new Li L8, our vehicles will use batteries developed by Li Auto. That strategic direction is definite. It is not a backup, and we are confident that the overall performance of our batteries will be better than before.

We now have the technical capabilities and our own battery pack production lines. The company has also reached a point where its investment capacity can support this strategy. For us, this is a clear strategic choice. There is no question of it being a backup.

LL: The pack is closely integrated with the vehicle. In-house development allows us to standardize the pack design effectively across the vehicle platform. With a common pack, we can specify customized requirements for cells.

Whatever the supplier, it will need to develop customized products according to our system and dimensional standards. Whatever the price, it must meet our requirements. If a supplier can meet our three requirements for integration, we are of course very open to working with any strong partner in the industry.

Q: Li Auto is still smaller than CATL and BYD. Without the same scale, how can in-house batteries offer an advantage in cost and quality?

MD: On scale and cost, I would first explain how we think about cost. Battery costs have five main components: production line depreciation, manufacturing expenses, raw materials, logistics and warehousing, and R&D investment. We are not developing batteries to squeeze the price of one part of the process, still less to substitute cheaper materials. That would not fit Li Auto’s values. We see opportunities to reduce costs by improving efficiency across the entire process while preserving performance and quality.

First, production line investment and depreciation: suppose a production line costs RMB 1 billion, depreciated over several years. By standardizing cell platforms, we can reuse production lines as much as possible. Higher utilization reduces the depreciation cost allocated to each unit.

Second, manufacturing expenses: Li Auto has an intelligent manufacturing team and the Lianshan system to monitor production and analyze data. That supports quality warnings while identifying waste and improving yield.

Third, raw materials: in the past, we largely had to accept fluctuations in raw material prices. With in-house development combined with either our own manufacturing or contract manufacturing, we can take a more active role in upstream materials and the associated risk management, improving our ability to manage cost fluctuations and maintain a stable supply.

Fourth, logistics, warehousing, and transport: a common battery system makes storage, packaging, tooling, and transportation more efficient, reducing waste from duplicate storage and transport.

Fifth, R&D investment: R&D ultimately contributes to the cost. Previously, suppliers paid for R&D and reflected that in the purchase price. Now Li Auto makes the R&D investment, while partners focus on manufacturing and processes. That creates a clearer division of work across the chain.

The goal is to reduce waste and improve efficiency at every stage without compromising performance, quality, or safety.

Q: How does Li Auto plan to standardize cell platforms?

Liu Zhimin (LZ): At the cell level, we currently have two solutions: 5C ternary lithium and 5C lithium iron phosphate. Each category has no more than two cell types.

Q: Reports have put Li Auto’s battery R&D spending over the past five years at about RMB 500 million (USD 74.6 million). What is the actual cumulative investment?

LZ: The RMB 500 million cited in reports largely refers to only part of the R&D expenditure, such as laboratory materials and testing and validation. Li Auto spends more than RMB 200 million a year on battery R&D and has spent more than RMB 1 billion over the past six years. There are also fixed assets and other related investments. The overall scale of R&D investment is substantial.

Q: Some figures suggest that, as of early 2026, Sunwoda’s electrochemistry R&D team had about 10,000 people, CATL had more than 30,000 relevant engineers, and Li Auto’s battery R&D team had about 300. How do you view this difference between automakers and battery companies?

LL: Headcount is closely related to the size of a company’s business and the scope of its R&D. A battery company may serve several automakers while also covering energy storage, different material systems, and platform technologies. Naturally, it needs more people.

For an automaker, what matters more is not the absolute number of R&D staff, but the depth of the work, its focus, and whether it has clear goals for users and products.

Q: BMW also develops batteries in-house and contracts out manufacturing, but consumers are more accepting of it. How can Chinese companies address the perception challenge of removing a supplier brand when developing key components themselves?

LL: There are several reasons, including brand history and established market perceptions. Newer companies have existed for less time, and that does have an effect.

But let me give a specific example. Li Auto began defining charging rate requirements for its battery electric platform in 2018 and 2019. When we spoke to battery makers, the industry generally thought 2C was enough. Leading suppliers told us 4C was impossible, but we had already set a target above 4C.

In that context, Li Auto led the development of early demo products and validated the feasibility of the entire technical approach. That allowed us to continue advancing toward 5C. We have invested substantial R&D resources in both batteries and vehicles, from the start of in-house development in 2020 to the announcement of our “dual-energy strategy” in 2023 and the full rollout of 5C batteries and the ultrafast charging network in 2024.

In explaining our brand, we have certainly faced plenty of skepticism. It takes time for users to develop an understanding of batteries developed by newer automakers.

MD: I am not worried at all. In 2017 and 2018, people might not have heard of Li Auto and would probably not have considered it when shopping for vehicles above RMB 200,000 (USD 29,800) or RMB 300,000 (USD 44,700). But a decade has passed, and as Li Auto and other new Chinese automakers have continued to improve their products, our share of the domestic market above RMB 200,000 has already exceeded that of BBA (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi) in some regions. I always emphasize that brands are not fixed forever. Value for users is what stands the test of time.

Q: What is Li Auto’s rate of cell manufacturing defects escaping detection, measured in PPB?

LZ: Before discussing the manufacturing PPB, or parts-per-billion, measure, let me briefly explain how we understand manufacturing consistency.

A complete product plan usually has three stages. First, we develop a complete technical solution around the product requirements. That solution connects all the product’s technical characteristics. Second, we translate those technical characteristics into engineering characteristics in the engineering plan.

Third, we ensure that the engineering characteristics correspond precisely to specific control plans in manufacturing. At the cell level, we have strict control standards and control items: more than 8,000 standards for cells and more than 1,000 at the pack level, for a combined total of more than 9,400. These ensure consistency in battery manufacturing.

Beyond the control plan system, we have deployed AI-driven inline CT inspection throughout the production process, along with AI-driven inspection using CCD (charge-coupled device) cameras with liquid lenses and other systems. These can effectively monitor abnormalities during manufacturing.

We also connect algorithms to Li Auto’s Lianshan system, using AI to identify abnormal trends and continuously improve and iterate. At present, our consistency meets product requirements, and the cell manufacturing defect escape rate has reached the PPB level.

Q: What specific technical coordination do Li Auto’s in-house batteries enable at the vehicle’s electronic control level?

LL: Technical coordination among the cells, the pack, the BMS (battery management system), and the vehicle is already extensive. Let me give a few typical examples.

The first is discharge power at low temperatures. Under the traditional model of working with battery companies, the supplier would provide a power map setting discharge power limits at different temperatures, and the vehicle could only be calibrated according to that map. This creates problems, especially for lithium iron phosphate batteries, which can deliver insufficient power or even leave the vehicle unable to move at low temperatures.

Through in-house development, we have our own APC (adaptive power control) and ATR (adaptive trajectory reconstruction) algorithms, allowing us to calculate SOC (state of charge) and the power map more precisely. There is a delay of tens of milliseconds between a driver pressing the accelerator and the demand signal being issued. We use that window to provide a feedforward control signal to the battery. Close coordination between the vehicle control algorithm and the battery system can significantly reduce power shortfalls at low temperatures. That is a direct practical benefit of in-house development.

Second, beyond power, we have also achieved more integrated control in areas such as thermal management. In-house development gives us basic production-stage data, including the capacity of every cell in the battery system. That enables more precise, coordinated management, particularly as battery health changes after long-term use.

KrASIA features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Xu Caiyu for 36Kr.

Note: RMB figures are converted to USD at rates of RMB 6.71 = USD 1 based on estimates as of October 13, 2026, unless otherwise stated. USD conversions are approximate and, where appropriate, rounded for ease of reference. They may not fully match prevailing exchange rates.

20:T18e2, Li Auto wants control of its batteries, whoever makes the cells 21:T35bb,

A brake pedal assembly broke during testing of a luxury vehicle priced around RMB 1 million (USD 149,000). Then it happened in two more vehicles.

A video released by automotive information platform Dongchedi on October 8 showed the failures as three Maextro V800s repeatedly braked from 100 kilometers per hour to a standstill. In each vehicle, the break occurred at the same point: the plastic reinforcement around the pedal pivot. The video showed that the force applied to the pedal exceeded 1,600 newtons when it broke.

The footage prompted widespread debate, weighed on JAC Motors’ share price, and drew regulatory attention.

On October 10, the China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) sent an urgent questionnaire to major automakers about the materials used in brake pedal assemblies, with a focus on nonmetallic components. Industry participants generally regard such surveys as groundwork for possible regulatory revisions.

Maextro said its braking system had been developed and validated against requirements exceeding national standards, and that no failures of the pedal bracket base had occurred in customer use. It nevertheless said it would improve the component’s design to provide a greater safety margin.

According to the standards reviewed by 36Kr, the mandatory national requirement sets a maximum pedal force of 500 newtons for achieving a vehicle’s maximum braking performance. A separate recommended standard calls for applying a force of 1,500 newtons, with a tolerance of plus or minus 20 newtons, for five seconds, repeated five times. The assembly must show no cracks and no more than five millimeters of permanent deformation.

The report argues that an automaker’s internal standards therefore determine how much force its pedals must withstand without breaking.

Sources told 36Kr that domestic suppliers quote no more than RMB 100 (USD 14.9) for a brake pedal assembly, even for a vehicle priced around RMB 1 million. Low prices and limited technological innovation leave pedal R&D low on the list of priorities, with few automakers assigning engineers specifically to the component.

Yet some established luxury brands continue to manufacture brake pedal assemblies in their own European factories and import them for assembly in China, despite years of localizing other operations.

The debate reflects what buyers expect from a vehicle at this price: safety should extend to every component.

Safety has long been a selling point for luxury cars. Mercedes-Benz introduced the antilock braking system (ABS), developed with Bosch, in the S-class in 1978. Luxury cars today still tend to offer more extensive and finely calibrated safety equipment than mainstream vehicles.

Within Huawei’s Harmony Intelligent Mobility Alliance (HIMA), Maextro models have more airbags, more sensors such as lidar, and a greater amount of ultra-high-strength steel than other models in the lineup. Features including active seat protection before a collision and rear impact prediction have also debuted in models from Maextro, the alliance’s most expensive brand.

For buyers, a price of around RMB 1 million brings an expectation that safety will extend to the smallest components.

Higher standards require engineering and funding

A brake pedal can cost just RMB 100 in a vehicle selling for roughly RMB 1 million. As automakers compete on assisted driving, suspension, chips, and batteries, that inexpensive component can easily be overlooked.

Established luxury brands offer a point of comparison. Many have internal safety requirements stricter than Chinese, European, and US standards.

According to 36Kr, these brands commonly require pedals to withstand close to 4,000 newtons without breaking, roughly equivalent to the weight of five or six adults standing on the pedal.

They also test pedals at temperatures from -35 to 80 degrees Celsius. Under a force of 2,000 newtons, the pedal may show only slight deformation that does not affect performance, whether in extreme heat or cold. By comparison, China’s automotive regulatory framework includes only one recommended standard specifying an ambient temperature test, covering eight to 38 degrees Celsius.

These luxury brands test more than the front-on pressure required by regulations. They also apply force from the left and right to approximate the angles at which drivers might hit the brake in an emergency.

Higher requirements also demand the engineering expertise to meet them.

A person familiar with the industry told 36Kr that these brands still use fully imported brake pedal components. “In high-end cars costing more than RMB 400,000 (USD 59,600), the brake pedals are almost all designed by the automakers themselves and manufactured in factories they built. They are made in European factories, then shipped to China by sea for assembly.”

These brands are gradually giving Chinese R&D teams more responsibility for new vehicles, including locally produced models costing around RMB 1 million. “But brake pedal designs still need headquarters’ approval,” the person said, adding that the brands do not trust Chinese suppliers’ development capabilities.

To reduce weight, manufacturers have replaced much of the material in brake pedal assemblies with engineering plastics, although the pedals and pedal arms generally remain metal, according to 36Kr. Sports car brands such as Porsche have even switched the pedal arms on some models to engineering plastics.

“Engineering plastics are cheap and light, but that puts pressure on the R&D team,” an engineer who designs pedal assemblies told 36Kr.

Pedals and pedal arms differ in shape and angle between models. To meet the automaker’s requirements, engineers must accurately analyze how forces act on the structure and place reinforcing ribs where loads are concentrated.

The engineer said domestic suppliers needed better simulation capabilities, leaving development teams to rely on trial and error.

“There is quite a large difference between the simulation results and the bench-test results. The R&D team can only try things: will adding a reinforcing rib here get it through? But even if it passes, it has only passed under the conditions you tested. Users will not brake exactly as you did in your tests. Without understanding the underlying principles, it is hard to ensure your pedal is safe enough.”

The person familiar with the industry said established luxury brands place considerable importance on suppliers’ technical know-how.

“They will not allow a component in one of their RMB 1 million cars if nobody understands why it was designed that way. So, in the end, these automakers still choose to do it themselves.”

Pedal assemblies are among the cheapest components in a braking system and have relatively low technical barriers to entry. That discourages automakers and suppliers from investing in a component selling for only tens of RMB. Mechanical safety, however, still requires repeated testing.

“That is also the difference between traditional luxury brands and today’s new luxury challengers. Every safety requirement needs development funding behind it,” a supply chain source told 36Kr.

Vehicles priced around RMB 1 million sell in small volumes. Annual sales of 10,000 are already substantial. “The unit price of a pedal is low, and everyone in the industry is controlling costs. Even for a RMB 1 million luxury car, domestic suppliers will not quote more than RMB 100 for a pedal assembly.”

At those volumes and prices, annual orders for a model’s brake pedal assemblies could be worth no more than RMB 1 million. Developing the assembly, however, costs at least several million RMB, according to the report.

“Volumes of RMB 1 million luxury cars are too low. It is difficult to spread R&D costs over production volume,” the source said. Automakers would normally be expected to pay suppliers a development fee.

“When you work on a project for a European luxury brand, it will pay development fees even if the design is rejected and you are not selected in the end. But many domestic automakers may pay only 20% of the development costs, even for a RMB 1 million car, and even after the supplier has been selected for mass production.”

Low volumes, thin margins, and limited development fees raise a difficult question: how much safety engineering can a project fund? The result depends on R&D capability, development time, and the budget, as much as on written standards.

Chinese brands are moving into the high end of the market, launching vehicles priced around RMB 1 million. Some already outsell established luxury models on a monthly basis and lead their segments.

Their launches emphasize safety too, from three redundant power supplies for concealed door handles to lidar sensors and airbag counts. But established luxury brands’ longevity rests on more than safety at the vehicle-system level. It also reflects strict requirements and sustained spending on inconspicuous components, from brake pedals to small wiring harnesses.

Could a pedal failure be caught before production?

The failures raise a straightforward question: could a design or quality defect that causes a brake pedal to break be caught before mass production?

“Almost no automaker has R&D or quality control positions dedicated to brake pedals,” a development engineer told 36Kr. Braking engineers typically oversee calipers, brake discs and pads, and pedal assemblies together.

Usually, the automaker specifies development targets and the pedal supplier designs the structure. Those targets include regulatory load requirements, cost, and weight.

Suppliers generally validate component designs themselves, according to 36Kr. After designing an assembly, a supplier first uses its own simulation system to assess whether the structure can withstand forces of 2,000 newtons or more. Once the design passes simulation and receives the automaker’s approval, the supplier produces physical prototypes for bench testing.

For maximum-load testing, the engineer said, automakers commonly accept a supplier’s report showing that the component passed.

“Some automakers run verification tests when they first bring in a new supplier. But costs and development schedules are now so tight that almost no automaker voluntarily retests. If the supplier’s report says it passes, then it passes.”

The automaker’s braking engineers then focus on pedal travel and feel, and on achieving maximum braking force with less than 500 newtons of force on the pedal. They do not conduct a separate test applying extreme force to the pedal.

Before a new model goes on sale, components and complete vehicles also undergo relevant tests at nationally accredited third-party institutions, a regulatory certification engineer told 36Kr.

“Maximum pedal load falls under component-level certification. In most cases, suppliers submit the parts for testing themselves and then give the automaker a passing report. Automakers generally check the report, not the actual testing process.”

The automaker is responsible for the vehicle and the supplier for the component. “If the development engineer does not have enough experience to spot something wrong, then it essentially comes down to each party acting in good conscience,” the certification engineer said.

Manufacturing defects can also cause a pedal assembly to break.

The automotive supply chain has multiple tiers, and each usually provides another quality check. An industry source gave 36Kr an example from the braking system downstream of the pedal.

“Suppliers’ production lines have mistake proofing built in. If a brake pad supplier quietly makes the pads two millimeters thinner, the caliper supplier will find that the pads do not fit in the specified position. Further up, the tier-one supplier checks overall performance again.”

If a component fails, the entire chain can be held accountable. Pedal assemblies are different: once they leave the supplier’s factory, they go directly to the automaker’s vehicle plant for installation. No intermediate supplier provides an additional quality check.

The premium buyers pay for luxury vehicles carries an expectation of safety margins beyond what regulations require. Delivering those margins takes money, engineering time, and checks that remain effective under cost pressure. The Maextro failures show why even a low-cost component warrants that attention.

KrASIA features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This article was written by Xu Caiyu for 36Kr.

22:T1962, Maextro’s broken brake pedals put luxury car safety under scrutiny 23:T4886,

NEU Battery Materials closes USD 7.6 million round to expand battery recycling

NEU Battery Materials, a Singapore-based lithium recycling company, has closed an oversubscribed USD 7.6 million funding round co-led by Shift4Good and SGInnovate.

New investors Lotus Singapore Group and M7 Holdings participated, alongside existing backer Paragon Ventures I.

NEU uses a proprietary electrochemical process to recover lithium from lithium iron phosphate batteries. The technology is designed to handle manufacturing scrap and spent battery materials, recovering lithium for reuse in battery production.

The financing follows the commissioning of NEU’s new Singapore facility, which has an annual processing capacity of 1,300 tons. The company said its recycling technology uses electricity, water, and chemicals that can be regenerated to reduce waste and environmental impact compared with conventional methods.

NEU will use the funding to increase production of battery-grade lithium, lower processing costs, develop commercial partnerships, and expand internationally.

OneByZero raises USD 20 million in Series A funding

OneByZero, a Singapore-based enterprise artificial intelligence company, has raised USD 20 million in a Series A round led by Jungle Ventures, marking its first external funding.

The company specializes in deploying AI systems within large enterprises, particularly in financial services, telecommunications, and retail. Its engineers work alongside customers to integrate AI into existing business processes and maintain the systems after deployment.

The funding will help expand its engineering teams across its nine existing markets, including Singapore, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Australia, and the US. OneByZero also plans to establish operations in Japan, expand into healthcare and the public sector, and further develop its AI platform.

Blue Fire AI secures minority investment from Asset Management One

Blue Fire AI, a Singapore-based investment technology company, has announced a minority equity investment from Japan’s Asset Management One (AM-One), an asset manager affiliated with Mizuho Financial Group. The investment forms part of Blue Fire’s latest funding round, which closed with USD 9 million in total commitments. AM-One’s investment amount was not disclosed.

The investment is part of a broader commercial agreement involving Blue Fire AI, AM-One, and Mizuho Financial Group to develop and distribute AI-powered investment products in Japan.

Founded in 2016, Blue Fire develops AI-driven investment analysis technology for institutional asset managers. Its proprietary software combines machine learning with structured reasoning to support fundamental company analysis, securities valuation, and portfolio management.

Under the agreement, AM-One plans to incorporate Blue Fire’s technology into new equity investment strategies for institutional and retail clients. The partnership will give Blue Fire AI access to AM-One’s distribution network and investment management operations as it expands the commercial applications of its technology.

IPID secures USD 16 million in Series A round

IPID, a Singapore-based payment intelligence company, has raised USD 16 million in a Series A round led by Foundation Capital, with participation from Citi and HSBC. Existing investors QED Investors, Monk’s Hill Ventures, and Quona Capital also joined the round.

The company provides bank account and payment recipient verification services, helping financial institutions identify intended recipients and assess potential risks before processing transactions. The company said its services support financial institutions operating in more than 50 countries.

IPID is expanding beyond bank account verification into broader payment intelligence, addressing gaps in recipient information as real-time payment systems and automated transactions become more widespread.

The funding will help expand its global payment intelligence network, accelerate growth in the US and Europe, and develop new verification and risk assessment capabilities. These will cover conventional payment systems alongside emerging payment methods involving stablecoins and other digital assets.

3cat raises USD 4 million to enter the Philippines

3cat, a Malaysia-based retailer of preowned electronics, has raised USD 4 million in a Series A round led by Foxmont Capital Partners, with participation from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Golden Gate Ventures.

Founded in 2023, the company combines physical stores and online sales with device quality assessments, financing options, and after-sales support. It has expanded to more than 20 stores across Malaysia, offering refurbished electronics with a 12-month warranty and return policy.

The funding will support 3cat’s entry into the Philippines, its first international market, where it aims to offer more affordable alternatives to new smartphones and other electronic devices.

Separately, ADB has authorized an additional USD 2.8 million for potential participation in future funding rounds. This is separate from its investment in the current Series A round.

Photo of 3cat's team. — 3cat’s team. Photo courtesy of the company.

Nexstrom raises USD 12 million in seed funding to commercialize 2D semiconductors

Nexstrom, a Singapore-based semiconductor technology company, has raised USD 12 million in a seed round led by Xora Innovation, with participation from Foothill Ventures and Seeds Capital, an arm of SG Growth Capital.

The round brings Nexstrom’s total funding to USD 15 million, including USD 3 million in nondilutive funding.

Founded in 2024, Nexstrom develops manufacturing technology for two-dimensional semiconductor materials, which form atomically thin layers that could enable more energy-efficient transistors. Its platform combines chemical vapor deposition equipment, specialized processes, and materials engineering to produce single-crystal semiconductor layers on industry-standard 12-inch wafers.

The company was incubated through Xora’s venture building program. Its technical development is led by co-founder Lance Li, who previously conducted research on post-silicon electronics at TSMC.

Nexstrom will use the capital to advance its platform toward commercial-scale manufacturing, validate the technology with semiconductor foundries, and expand its engineering and leadership teams.

Photo of Nexstrom’s team. — Nexstrom’s team. Photo courtesy of the company.

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Recent deals in China:

Deepagens, a Shanghai-based marketing technology company, has completed an eight-figure RMB angel round led by Huagong Tech. The company develops generative engine optimization (GEO) tools that help businesses improve their visibility in AI-generated responses. The funding will support technology development, product upgrades, overseas expansion, and talent recruitment. —36Kr
Yisheng New Materials, a Harbin-based developer of metal matrix composites, has raised nearly RMB 100 million (USD 14.9 million) in a Series A3 round co-led by Oriza Hua and Changjiang Innovation. Other investors include CSC Financial, Bondshine Capital, Fengyuan Capital, and Silver Cypress Capital. Existing backer Zhongguancun Qihang participated through its Xinchuang Fund. The company produces diamond-aluminum and diamond-copper composites used in thermal management for high-power chips and aerospace applications. The proceeds will fund equipment purchases and recruitment of specialists. —36Kr
ModCraft, an AI-powered game modification platform, has secured an eight-figure RMB sum in seed funding from investors including SenseCapital and the Lighthouse Founders’ Fund. Its platform lets users create game modifications, commonly called mods, using natural language, and discover and share content developed by other players. It supported 28 games at the time of reporting. ModCraft also plans to use gameplay and modification data to train AI models for game development. The funding will support model training and platform growth. —36Kr
Rino.ai, a developer of Level 4 autonomous delivery vehicles, has completed a USD 100 million Series C round led by Hidden Hill Capital. Other participants include Xiangtan state-backed investors, Shenzhen Major Industry Investment Group, Hunan Chasing, South Korea’s Woori Financial Group, and Bozheng Capital. The company develops driverless logistics vehicles and fleet management services. Its largest single funding round to date will support autonomous driving and physical AI technology development, alongside the expansion of its urban delivery operations. —36Kr
Pongbot, an AI-powered sports equipment company, has raised a nine-figure RMB sum in a Series B round led by the SSCI Leading Fund, with participation from Oriza Hua, Pudong Venture Capital, and returning investor BlueRun Ventures. The company develops ball launching robots and coaching systems for table tennis and tennis training. Its products combine visual tracking, movement analysis, and automated training feedback. It plans to use the proceeds to develop sport-specific AI models and computer vision technology, expand international distribution, and enter additional sports categories. —36Kr
LaserCyber, a Shenzhen-based developer of laser metalworking equipment, has completed an eight-figure RMB round backed by Inspiration Capital and Ravine Capital. Founded in August 2025, the company develops desktop laser systems for small workshops, metalworking businesses, and individual creators, primarily in overseas markets. Its first product, the L1 series, combines welding, cutting, and laser cleaning, with AI-assisted settings designed to simplify operation. The company said its Kickstarter campaign has attracted more than USD 1 million in pledges. —36Kr
Wefly, a Suzhou-based electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft developer, has completed a financing round of nearly RMB 100 million led by Suzhou Capital Group. The round also drew investment from Jiangsu’s strategic emerging industries angel fund and Xiangcheng Investment Holdings, alongside existing backers Ince Capital and Linear Capital. Wefly develops passenger and cargo aircraft using a shared platform. Its passenger aircraft, the W280, had its application for type certification accepted for review by Chinese aviation authorities on September 1. The proceeds will support product R&D, flight testing, and certification activities. —36Kr
Chongmou Technology, a Beijing-based developer of high-resolution satellite imaging equipment, has completed multiple financing rounds totaling nearly RMB 100 million. Established in 2024, the company specializes in optical remote sensing cameras capable of capturing images at resolutions of 0.5 meters or better. The funding will support mass production of its existing camera systems, standardized manufacturing capacity, and development of higher-resolution products for commercial satellite applications. —36Kr
ScanArk, a developer of simulation environments for training robots, has completed a pre-angel round, bringing its total funding across three rounds in four months to an eight-figure RMB sum. Its seed, seed extension, and pre-angel financings have attracted investors including Langcheng Capital, Sealand Innovation, and unnamed robotics and industrial investment organizations. ScanArk develops interactive digital environments using 3D Gaussian splatting, enabling robots to practice physical tasks and learn from simulated interactions before real-world deployment. —36Kr
Weilan Deep Sea, an underwater robotics company, has completed five financing rounds in nine months, most recently a fourth angel extension round. Its backers across these rounds include Shenzhen Capital Group, Oriza Seed, Panorama Capital, and existing investor Innoangel Fund. The company develops autonomous underwater robots to inspect and maintain offshore energy infrastructure. It has also delivered inspection services to customers. The funding will support underwater AI model training, construction of a dedicated training center, and further deployment in offshore oil and gas applications. The financing amounts were not disclosed. —36Kr
Tachin Technology, a Beijing-based developer of flexible tactile sensors, has secured a nine-figure RMB sum in a pre-Series A++ round co-led by the Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment Fund and Beijing New Materials Industry Investment Fund, both managed by Shunxi Capital. The company develops stretchable electronic skin, tactile data collection gloves, and sensing systems for robotics and consumer devices. Its technology captures contact pressure, temperature, and other physical interactions. The funding will support technology R&D, automated production lines, manufacturing improvements, and supply chain development for commercial applications. —36Kr
NeoDomain, an AI-powered creative software company, has completed an eight-figure RMB angel round backed by Huace Film & TV. Its main product, Neowow, is a canvas-based platform for individual professional creators to develop and share AI-generated content and creative workflows. The company said the investment is also expected to support collaboration between NeoDomain and Huace Film & TV in talent development, technology, and content creation. —36Kr

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Dana, Xora, Motion Ventures, and others made recent headlines:

Dana, an Indonesian digital wallet and financial services platform, has received an undisclosed investment from 01F Group through its growth-stage private equity arm for fintech, 01Fintech.
Xora, a Temasek-backed fund, led an additional USD 53 million seed investment in Hang Ten Systems, bringing the company’s total funding to USD 85 million. Mayfield, which led Hang Ten’s first seed round, and Aramco Ventures also participated.
Motion Ventures, a Singapore-based maritime tech investor, joined Isometric’s Series A round, expanding it to USD 50 million. Intercontinental Exchange, the operator of the New York Stock Exchange, also joined the round.

If you have news or updates you’d like us to feature, contact us at hello@kr-asia.com.

24:T1de2, Deals in brief: NEU Battery Materials raises USD 7.6 million, OneByZero secures Series A funding, 12 China investments, and more 25:T4468,

Each day, dozens of residents in Tokyo’s Setagaya district visit an office to sign up for a My Number identification card. Officials take each visitor’s photo, make copies of their existing ID documents and ask them to write down four passwords. The information gets sent back to the local government, and it can take months before the card is issued.

The process has been slow due to COVID-related restrictions. Residents are asked to book appointments in advance, and slots are limited to prevent overcrowding. One resident received a notice in May, but her nearest office did not have a slot open until July.

The 12-digit My Number card, which can be used in making online applications for administrative procedures as well as for opening bank accounts and other services that require ID verification, could have flourished during COVID-19. Instead, it has become a symbol of a digitally ill-prepared Japan. The government launched the project in 2015 and spent JPY 880 billion (USD 8 billion) to make and distribute the cards. But only 15% of the population had received a card by the time the outbreak began.

That meant Japan had no choice but to rely on paper and manual labor, a system that has been largely unchanged for decades and has proved to be extremely inefficient during the pandemic.

Last year’s emergency cash handout program required residents to fill in applications and send them via post. Municipalities had to print and mail the applications to households, set up call centers to respond to inquiries, and manually process each application sent back to them. Residents had to make copies of ID documents, creating lines in convenience stores with printers. The policy was announced in April 2020, but municipalities could not start delivering the checks until June. “I called the help desk 200 times but couldn’t get through,” reads one complaint from an Osaka resident.

A year later, Japan is struggling with similar bottlenecks. Many countries operate online vaccine booking systems using residents’ ID or mobile phone numbers. But Japan began its vaccination program by having local municipalities send out physical vaccination tickets to eligible residents. The operation was both costly and slow, resulting in less than three doses administered per 100 people at the end of April. Frustrated, prime minister Yoshihide Suga instructed the Self-Defense Forces to operate large inoculation centers in Tokyo and Osaka. The SDF began doing so on May 24, and the number of daily vaccinations has since surged.

These are just some of the many policies that have since been summed up as Japan’s “digital defeat.”

The recent embarrassments have renewed a sense of urgency and prompted Suga to launch an all-out effort to go digital. He is setting up a powerful digital agency that is expected to eventually control the government’s entire IT system budget, worth about JPY 800 billion in fiscal year 2020. By streamlining the software and standards across all ministries and local governments, he plans to expedite a digital overhaul of administrative procedures, as well as key sectors like health care and education.

Suga has moved swiftly. He tapped Takuya Hirai, an IT expert inside the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, to set up the digital agency and appointed Taro Kono, known for his social media savvy, as a minister for administrative reform. Sweeping legal changes to enable the transfer of authority from each ministry and municipality were approved in May, paving the way for the agency’s scheduled launch in September.

A view of Shinjuku district in Tokyo, Japan. Photo source: Shutterstock.

The ingredients for a modern digital economy are already there. Japan was an early mover in building internet infrastructure and was on the cutting edge of mobile telephony until the introduction of smartphones. The country’s rapidly aging population means there is strong demand to increase productivity through technology. Making bold moves to boost the digital competitiveness of the public and private sectors can add up to JPY 79 trillion to Japan’s GDP by 2030, estimates McKinsey Global Institute.

Some experts say Suga faces an uphill battle in creating a competent digital organization. The endeavor will require attracting talent from Japan’s tech sector, which is already making up for an engineer shortage by hiring foreign talent. Hirai has ruled out this solution. The digital agency, he said, “will not hire foreign nationals as civil servants.”

Unifying systems across ministries also means busting the sectionalism, or walls, built up within each bureaucracy over decades, known as tatewari gyosei.

And a digital push in areas like health care is already being met with hesitance from the private sector.

“This is asking for a fight,” said Timothy Langley, CEO of the Langley Esquire consultancy. “The setup of a digital agency means: I’m going to take power from all of you ministries; you can’t hide anymore.”

The idea is for the agency to combine top-down decision-making with the private sector’s tech expertise. It will be placed directly under the cabinet office and led by the prime minister, with the digital minister running the day-to-day operations. A digital expert will advise the minister, a post that Hirai said could go to a private sector hire. The agency plans for 120 of its 500 employees to come from the private sector and universities.

Hirai has taken his “government as a startup” slogan on a media blitz to promote the agency’s tech friendliness, appearing on talk shows on YouTube and social media apps like Clubhouse. He has minced no words in calling Japan’s past digital policies a failure. “This digital defeat,” he declared during an online forum last year, “is our last chance.”

The hiring is being conducted by the information technology strategy office, a division of the Cabinet Secretariat. When the project launched in September, Hirai tapped a group of young officials to lead on-the-ground operations. He also brought in tech industry executives as advisers. Discussions led to the IT strategy office awarding a contract to Tokyo-based startup Herp to provide online software that manages the remote hiring process.

One adviser called this a symbolic move: The IT strategy office had previously told applicants to send in their documents via post.

“We are really a venture,” Herp CEO Ichiro Shoda said, “so we have never done a government project. I think there was a credibility risk, but I think we were chosen because [the officials] sympathized with our ideas.”

Shoda said his team was surprised how quickly the members involved in the recruitment process were able to grasp its software. “Officials from ministries, external advisers and aides were all using our service. We didn’t spend much time explaining how to use it.”

Whether bureaucrats and engineers from the private sector can work in harmony will have major implications for Japan’s digital policies. A string of new laws that recently passed parliament defines the digital agency’s role as an “overall coordinator” and gives the digital minister authority to make recommendations to the heads of other government ministries and agencies. The agency also has the power to build core systems on its own.

Read more: Are Japanese startups ready for the big leagues? | Q&A with Ayumi Ode, director of Japan at 500 Startups

The projects it will oversee include having the entire population obtain a My Number card by March 2023, bringing 98% of administrative procedures online by 2025, transferring data kept in each municipality to the cloud, and creating a new digital category for civil servant exams.

The targets seem ambitious. In reality, they are goals that Japan’s peers have already been tackling for years. India launched its national identification system, Aadhaar, in 2010, and nearly all of its 1.3 billion people have since registered. Singapore plans to make all government services available online by 2023. Only 7.5% of Japan’s 55,765 administrative procedures could be completed online as of 2019, according to the Japan Research Institute.

Japan ranked 27th in the 2020 IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking, down from 23rd in 2015. The fall contrasted to China’s going from 33rd in 2015 to 16th, and South Korea, which jumped from 18th to 8th.

Japan was not always a laggard in digital technology. It built out its internet infrastructure by 2000, when it had the second most internet users in the world, just behind the US In 2001, then prime minister Yoshiro Mori had a plan drafted for Japan to become a global IT leader within five years.

The country reached some goals, such as laying fiber-optic cables across the nation. But other targets, such as streamlining government IT systems, were largely abandoned. That left each ministry and municipality to manage its own systems. Most organizations lacked technical expertise and outsourced the projects to system integrators such as NTT, Fujitsu, and NEC, creating a fragmented environment in which data cannot be shared.

One early IT adviser to the economy ministry said he was surprised by how new contracts were being awarded without much being completed. “It was like constructing a building without a door, and then starting a door construction project,” the person recalled. “There was always an excuse for not being able to finish the original plan.”

The lack of change came to haunt the country during the pandemic. In February, the health ministry said it found a glitch in its contact tracing app for Android users. The app failed to notify users when they came in close contact with another user who had tested positive for COVID-19. Health minister Norihisa Tamura shocked the public by admitting the app “essentially had not been functioning since September.”

Why did the ministry fail to notice the glitch for more than four months? In May 2020, the ministry awarded the contract to Persol Process & Technology, a subsidiary of staffing firm Persol Holdings. In turn, Persol subcontracted the project to five companies, a move Persol said was due to the short time frame given to complete the project. Because the responsibilities were sliced up and spread across different companies, “there was no shared understanding over who was actually performing the final quality control,” the ministry concluded after investigating the issue.

Langley says the digital agency should shoot for some quick victories to gain the public’s trust. These would include abolishing the hanko stamps that Japanese use instead of signatures and shedding its reliance on the fax machine, especially at local government offices.

Bigger reforms, such as in the health care system, are more challenging, and cracks are already starting to appear. Plans to enable the My Number card to be used as an insurance card at hospitals, dentists and drugstores were delayed from the initial target date in late March. The health ministry blamed errors in some of the insurance data registered in the system. But many hospitals are also wary of the additional system costs. The ministry had planned to start trials at 500 hospitals and pharmacies, but only 54 joined.

The use of overseas cloud services to store and analyze data is another potential land mine. Japan has no local equivalent to services provided by US tech giants Amazon and Microsoft. Some parts of the government already use cloud services such as Amazon’s AWS. But “will the prime minister allow his own medical records to be stored on AWS?” wondered a health ministry adviser. “The debate is just starting.”

Hirai believes that starting the debate is an important step forward. “Gathering the authority of each ministry and agency in one place, including the budget … consensus building for such a move will not be possible unless it is an emergency,” he said in a video presentation earlier this year. “The sense of speed is unprecedented, but it is probably the only way to do it.”

This article first appeared on Nikkei Asia. It’s republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei.

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