HD Hyundai Oilbank said on Aug. 11 it has commercialized South Korea's first engine oil specifically designed for hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2-ICE).

The company said it has begun supplying its XTeer H2-ICE engine oil to hydrogen commercial vehicle manufacturers, including Tata Daewoo Mobility.

HD Hyundai Oilbank began developing lubricant technology for hydrogen internal combustion engines in 2023 and completed product development and performance validation last year.

Hydrogen internal combustion engines operate at higher combustion temperatures than conventional internal combustion engines and generate moisture during combustion, which can accelerate engine wear and degrade lubricant performance.

According to the company, the new engine oil incorporates technologies designed to protect engine components, control moisture and suppress deposits generated during the combustion process.

An HD Hyundai Oilbank official said the company has secured proprietary lubricant technology for hydrogen internal combustion engines and successfully commercialized the product.

The official added that the company plans to expand its portfolio of high-value-added lubricant products targeting the global market.

SFA has begun shipping manufacturing equipment for LS Cable & System's subsea cable plant in the United States.

The company said on Aug. 11 it held a shipment ceremony for the first 10,000-metric-ton-class turntable destined for LS Cable & System's manufacturing facility in Virginia. Between the fourth quarter of last year and the first quarter of this year, SFA secured turntable supply contracts worth approximately 150 billion won.

SFA will deliver dozens of turntables to the Virginia plant in phases through the end of 2027.

Turntables are used to wind, store and transport completed subsea cables to the next stage of the manufacturing process. Because long-distance subsea cables are highly susceptible to excessive tension and twisting, the equipment must precisely control cable handling. The turntables supplied by SFA measure more than 40 meters in diameter.

Working with LS Cable & System, SFA has developed subsea cable manufacturing equipment, including vertical continuous vulcanization (VCV) systems and turntables. The company has also supplied similar equipment to LS Cable & System's subsea cable plant in Donghae, Gangwon Province.

An SFA official said the company intends to successfully complete the Virginia project by leveraging its experience supplying 3,000-ton-class VCV systems and 10,000-ton-class turntables, while positioning itself to secure additional business opportunities as LS Cable & System expands its US investment.

Hanwha Solutions said on Aug. 11 it has commercialized a power cable material containing 50% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic feedstock.

The company said it has completed customer qualification for CHBA-8241RC, a high-density polyethylene (HDPE)-based jacket material for power cables made with recycled plastic feedstock.

CHBA-8241RC is a proprietary composite material developed by Hanwha Solutions. According to the company, it maintains electrical performance comparable to conventional products while reducing carbon emissions by approximately 34% per kilogram of material.

Hanwha Solutions completed product development and pilot production last year. In the first half of this year, it finished production trials and quality validation with cable manufacturers. The company said the commercialization expands its cable materials portfolio from ultra-high-voltage insulation materials to environmentally friendly cable jacket compounds.

Hanwha Solutions is also expanding its recycled polyethylene (rPE) business using waste plastics. Its related products have obtained Global Recycled Standard (GRS) and ISCC PLUS certifications and are used in applications including consumer electronics packaging, cosmetic containers and industrial recycled packaging bags.

Hanwha Group has increased its stake in Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) to more than 15%, broadening its base for participation in the key decision-making of the country's sole aircraft manufacturer.

Hanwha Systems disclosed on Aug. 10 that it had acquired an additional 3.45% stake in KAI through open-market purchases over the past month.

Following the purchases, Hanwha Group's combined ownership in KAI has risen to 15.89%, consisting of a 9.90% stake held by Hanwha Aerospace, a 4.98% stake held by Hanwha Systems and a 1.01% stake held by Hanwha Aerospace USA.

Hanwha is now KAI's second-largest shareholder. With its ownership exceeding 15%, the group plans to file for a business combination review with South Korea's Fair Trade Commission. KAI's largest shareholder remains the Export-Import Bank of Korea, which owns 26.41% of the company.

Hanwha and KAI have already been expanding cooperation in the aerospace sector. In February, the two companies agreed to pursue joint development of an aircraft engine for a future version of the KF-21 fighter jet, collaborate on unmanned aircraft development and exports, and jointly enter commercial space markets involving satellites and launch vehicles.

Hanwha Aerospace is active in aircraft engines and space launch vehicles, while Hanwha Systems operates radar and satellite businesses. KAI is South Korea's only fully integrated aircraft manufacturer and possesses system integration capabilities across fighter jets, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles. Industry observers say closer cooperation between the companies could create synergies spanning aircraft platforms, engines, radar systems, weapons integration and space-related businesses.

The increased stake also comes as Hanwha pursues a large-scale investment strategy focused on aerospace, space and artificial intelligence. The group recently announced plans to invest a total of 55 trillion won in aerospace and AI businesses between this year and 2040.

Hanwha Aerospace plans to invest 23 trillion won in launch vehicle programs, including assembly facilities and development test infrastructure. The company also plans to invest 2 trillion won in defense AI, developing crewed-uncrewed weapons for air and ground use and crewed-uncrewed integrated combat systems.

Hanwha Systems plans to invest 20 trillion won in satellite-related businesses, including very low Earth orbit synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellites, space-based AI data centers and low Earth orbit satellite communications networks.

The cities of Sacheon, where KAI is headquartered, and Changwon, home to major Hanwha Aerospace operations, are expected to play increasingly important roles in Hanwha's aerospace strategy. The group is also envisioning a southern aerospace corridor linking Changwon, Sacheon and the Naro Space Center in Goheung.

LS Electric and GS Engineering & Construction (GS E&C) have agreed to collaborate on direct current (DC) power distribution technology and power equipment supply for artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.

LS Electric said on Aug. 10 that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with GS E&C to jointly respond to changes in the AI data center business environment. Under the agreement, the companies will develop next-generation DC power distribution technologies aimed at improving power efficiency in high-power, high-density AI data centers.

As part of the partnership, LS Electric will supply key electrical equipment for AI data center projects being developed by GS E&C, including switchboards, gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and extra-high-voltage transformers.

LS Electric is currently developing DC power distribution products such as solid-state transformers (SSTs), solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs) and energy storage systems (ESS). The company has also established a production facility at its Cheonan site in South Chungcheong Province that operates entirely on a DC power distribution system.

An LS Electric official said demand for DC power distribution technologies is increasing as operators seek to improve the power efficiency of AI data centers.

HD Hyundai Heavy Industries has secured a 956 billion-won contract to supply power generation equipment for data centers operated by major U.S. technology companies.

The company said on Aug. 10 that it signed an agreement with U.S. energy infrastructure developer Corban Energy Group to supply power generation systems based on its HiMSEN engines. The contract covers a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW), or 1 gigawatt (GW), which will be used as a power source for data centers operated by major technology companies in the United States.

Corban Energy Group is an energy infrastructure and engineering company that supplies gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and power products for infrastructure projects, including data centers and projects for the U.S. Department of War (DoW), according to the company.

The HiMSEN engine supplied by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries is a 9.6 MW-class high-capacity medium-speed engine. Its ability to operate continuously around the clock makes it suitable for power generation systems serving data centers that require stable and uninterrupted electricity supplies.

In April, HD Hyundai Heavy Industries signed a 627.1 billion-won contract with U.S. energy infrastructure developer AEG to supply power generation equipment for data centers. With the Corban Energy Group agreement, the company has now secured another major contract in the fast-growing U.S. data center power market.

"We continue to receive inquiries regarding collaboration opportunities in the data center power generation engine market," an HD Hyundai Heavy Industries official said.