The industry stopped competing on records and started competing on reproducibility
The interesting number this month was not an energy density. It was the number of sites running the same process and getting the same result.
Company updates
Sion Power is extending beyond EVs into aerospace and defence, with cells above 500 Wh/kg and first shipments signalled for Q3 2026.
QuantumScape brought its Eagle line into operation in Q1 and paired it with in-line metrology under AI control — a quality-and-yield play rather than a performance one.
Solid Power is running lines across three continents and expanding sulfide electrolyte capacity from 30 to 75 MT/yr, positioning as a materials supplier rather than a cell maker.
Samsung SDI is signalling prismatic all-solid-state production toward 2027 and has accumulated roughly 1,100 solid-state patents.
Three shifts worth naming
- AI in-line metrology plus cross-site validation is producing something the field did not have before: factory-level reproducibility, as distinct from a good coin cell.
- Patent accumulation and dry-coating roadmaps are hardening into defensive IP positions.
- Wet and dry processes are hybridising, and new anode architectures are being integrated into both — which makes vacuum deposition a bridge between them rather than a competitor to either.
Where vacuum deposition is actually being bought
The global PVD market is forecast to grow from $22.8–25.45B in 2024 to $33–47B by 2030–2033, a 6–8% CAGR. Sputtering alone is 47% of 2025 revenue.
| Tier | Market | Entry | 2025 | Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Next-gen battery (Li-metal) | 2026–28 | $1.22B | $2.56B (2030) |
| 1 | OLED cathode & equipment | 2027– | $68.27B | $191.6B (2030) |
| 1 | Perovskite solar | started | $0.39B | $2.74B (2034) |
| 2 | AR/VR optical coatings | 2027–28 | $9.47B | $13.36B (2030) |
| 2 | Aqueous Zn storage | 2026– | $0.31B | $5.9B (2030) |
| 2 | Micro-LED | 2028–30 | $1.05B | $8.51B (2035) |
| 2 | Semiconductor packaging RDL | 2028–30 | $1.52B | $2.99–3.71B (2033) |
| 3 | Hydrogen & fuel cell bipolar plates | 2028–31 | $0.84B | $6.52B (2035) |
| 3 | MEMS & piezo sensors | 2029–31 | ~$4.0B | $5.7B (2030) |
| 3 | Medical silver coatings | 2030+ | $2.80B | $6.49B (2031) |
Lithium-metal anodes are a small line in that table today. They are also the only one where the deposited layer is the active material rather than a coating on top of it.
Where this points
A field that has moved from "can this chemistry work" to "does it work the same way on Tuesday" is a field where process control is the product. Uniformity across a web, run to run, is the thing being bought.