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Sep 29, 10:45
LG expands AI data center cooling ties with Microsoft, SK Enmove
LG Electronics has expanded its push into the AI data center cooling market through cooperation with Microsoft, SK Enmove, and overseas heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) partners. The moves come as demand for data center cooling rises with the rapid buildout of AI infrastructure in the US, South Korea, and other markets.

Foxtron Vehicle Technologies said its overseas expansion is taking shape as exports to New Zealand and Australia enter their final countdown, with a planned Poland factory with ElectroMobility Poland also drawing attention. On September 22, Foxtron Chairman Andy Lee said Europe's strict emissions rules and strong environmental awareness make it a key electric vehicle (EV) market, while localization and shared platforms are central to the company's strategy.

LG Energy's battery energy storage system (BESS) has entered Nvidia's AI Factory ecosystem. Its qualification by the chipmaker comes as LG Energy is reorienting its North American battery plants toward data centers and appears poised to capture fresh demand after the US imposed restrictions on Chinese battery imports.
The US is accelerating its shift toward domestic battery manufacturing as the energy storage market expands, but the market's current growth still depends heavily on low-cost Chinese cells.
Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is accelerating the commercial deployment of circular material technologies, shifting the focus of the circular economy from basic recycling to high-value upcycling. By targeting waste liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and asphalt pavement milling waste, ITRI has developed nano-porous glass (NaPoGlass) and 100% recycled asphalt concrete technologies, returning previously downcycled industrial waste to high-value supply chains.
Changs Ascending's board approved an operating plan on Sept. 21 to launch an energy systems integration push into the AI data center sector, betting on structurally rising demand from AI computing centers for stable power, backup power, and ESS. The lithium battery materials maker aims to extend its proven UPS, lithium iron phosphate battery and BESS integration capabilities in semiconductor sites into AI data center power infrastructure as the next growth engine for its energy business.

South Korea and the US have hit an impasse in final-stage investment talks over commercial viability safeguards, with South Korean President Lee Jae-myung saying that some parts are hard to accept. The deadlock is raising concerns that the months-long negotiations over South Korea's investment plans in the US could collapse.

US-based First Solar, best known for thin-film solar production, plans to withdraw its Section 337 complaint under the Tariff Act of 1930 and resume patent lawsuits against rivals. Market observers say the company still wields significant firepower in the US TOPCon patent war.

China has introduced its first national standard for perovskite photovoltaics, a move that could improve how solar performance is measured and compared worldwide. The new rules are likely to support industry transparency, help investors assess progress more accurately, and speed commercialization by reducing inconsistencies in testing data across markets.

Taiwan is developing an emissions trading scheme (ETS) alongside its carbon fee system, with the Ministry of Environment planning to issue a pilot-plan draft by the end of 2026 and targeting a pilot launch in 2028 to align with international systems. Minister Chi-Ming Peng said the pilot will cover 20 companies and 126 factories, and participation will be voluntary.

Taiwan will launch a pilot emissions trading scheme (ETS) by the end of 2026 to help semiconductor and technology manufacturers align with international systems. Ministry of Environment adviser and former deputy environment minister Wen-Chen Shih said the ETS design must address three key areas.

The EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR, Regulation (EU) 2025/40) has been in force since Aug. 12, 2026, underscoring the rising importance of circular materials as sustainability pressures intensify. Hsu Hsiang-jui, deputy general manager of the Plastic Industry Development Center, said the circular economy is driving five major trends: reduction and recycling, reuse, mechanical recycling, chemical recycling and circular materials.