Graphene Square has completed a graphene film mass-production plant at the Blue Valley National Industrial Complex in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province of Korea. It is regarded as the first attempt in Korea to produce large-area graphene continuously based on factory facilities.
Graphene Square, founded in 2012, signed an investment memorandum of understanding (MOU) with North Gyeongsang Province and the city of Pohang in 2021 and then transferred its headquarters from Suwon to Pohang. A total of 42 billion won was invested in the Pohang plant, which has a total floor area of 6,308㎡. Graphene Square raised a 19 billion won Series B round in 2023 and received a 16 billion won pre-IPO investment in April this year.
The strength of the Pohang plant is large-area, continuous production. Graphene Square built a mass-production system based on a unique chemical vapor deposition (CVD) graphene process.
The company cited the following reasons for being able to lower unit costs to about one-sixth of the pilot stage: spreading fixed costs per area thanks to expanded production scale, moving away from batch-centered pilot processes to run lines continuously and boost equipment utilization, and automating logistics, handling, and inspection steps within the process.
However, lowering manufacturing costs and the actual selling price perceived by customers are separate issues. In the early stage of mass production, customer quality certification and inspection and screening expense are added, and if initial demand is not large enough, cost savings may not be immediately reflected in the selling price. The company expects a cycle in which lower price barriers bring more customers, higher volumes improve utilization and Production yield, and costs come down.
Graphene Square estimates that once the Pohang plant is fully up and running, it can produce 300,000㎡ of graphene per year. The next three to four months will be dedicated to bringing in key equipment, followed by three to four months for stabilizing the Production yield. Taking customer quality verification into account, mass delivery is expected between the end of next year and early 2027.
Hong Byung-hee, CEO of Graphene Square and a professor in the department of chemistry at Seoul National University, picked heating and cooling products as the areas where graphene will be first integrated into everyday life. Using a graphene film as a heating element allows product designs in which the entire surface emits heat uniformly, while the opposite property - rapidly transferring and dispersing heat - means it can also be used as a thermal dissipation material for electronic devices and data centers.
