Lotte invests 10 billion won in KAIST R&D center for carbon neutrality, EV battery and hydrogen tech

Lotte Group has opened a joint R&D center with KAIST on the university's main campus, backed by 10 billion won in construction donations. The six-story facility spans 4,298 square meters and is meant to move research from early-stage work to prototype production and commercialization. Lotte says the focus areas include carbon neutrality, biotechnology, and advanced materials, with an emphasis on solving practical industry problems rather than staying in the lab. Several Lotte affiliates have specific projects lined up. Lotte Chemical will work with KAIST on AI semiconductors, thermal management materials for EV batteries and humanoid robots, and localization of key materials for high-temperature water electrolysis electrodes. LOTTE Fine Chemical will study pharmaceutical cellulose derivatives, and LOTTE Energy Materials plans to develop materials for ultra-high-speed transmission circuits used in AI accelerators. The investment is notable for carbon markets because water electrolysis is a core route to low-carbon hydrogen, and better battery thermal management directly affects EV performance and adoption. The real question is how quickly these projects move from research papers to actual supply chains.