manufactured · input

Lithium-Ion Battery Cells

Smartphone and tablet battery cells (4-5 Wh for phones, 30-50 Wh for tablets); ATL (Ampere Technology Ltd., TDK subsidiary) dominant; CATL and Samsung SDI also supply; cobalt cathode DRC-sourced

3

Source countries

4

Companies

1

Goods affected

0

Claims on record

What depends on it

Goods that need this input

1 essential American goods rely on lithium-ion battery cells somewhere upstream in their supply chain.

Where it comes from

Source countries

Share of global supply, by country.

CountryShare of supply
CNChina85%
KRSouth Korea12%
JPJapan3%

Who makes it

Supplier companies

4 companies produce lithium-ion battery cells.

ATL (Amperex Technology Limited)

HQ CN50% share

Amperex Technology Limited (ATL; headquartered Dongguan, Guangdong, China) is the world's largest manufacturer of LCO (lithium cobalt oxide) battery cells for consumer electronics, holding approximately 35-40% of the global smartphone and tablet cell market. ATL was founded in 1999 in Hong Kong and relocated primary operations to Dongguan. The company was acquired by TDK Corporation (Japan; TYO: 6762) in 2005 for approximately ¥10.5B — making a Chinese battery maker a wholly-owned subsidiary of a Japanese electronics conglomerate. ATL is the primary cell supplier for Apple iPhone (jointly with Samsung SDI), Google Pixel, Huawei smartphones, and virtually all major Android OEM devices. ATL's primary LCO cell manufacturing campus is in Dongguan, Guangdong; it also operates a major facility in Ningde, Fujian (the same city whose name gives CATL — Contemporary Amperex Technology Limited — its identity, though ATL and CATL are entirely separate companies). ATL is privately held within TDK and does not publish standalone financials; revenue is estimated at $5-7B+ annually.

Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited(300750.SZ)

HQ CN15% share

World's largest EV and grid storage battery maker. 45% share of Chinese EV battery market in 2024; dominant LFP grid storage manufacturer. Has US supply relationships via Ford, BMW; building factory in Michigan via LRS JV (subject to political uncertainty).

Samsung SDI Co., Ltd.

HQ KR15% share

Samsung SDI Co., Ltd. (Yongin, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea; KRX: 006400; ~KRW 20T revenue) is the battery manufacturing arm of the Samsung Group, producing cylindrical, prismatic, and pouch lithium-ion cells for consumer electronics (smartphones, laptops, tablets), power tools, and electric vehicles. In the consumer electronics LCO cell segment, Samsung SDI holds approximately 15-18% global market share. Samsung SDI manufactures LCO pouch cells at its Tianjin, China facility (primarily for smartphone applications) and cylindrical cells at Cheonan, South Korea. Samsung SDI is a co-supplier of Apple iPhone battery cells alongside ATL — Apple's dual-sourcing strategy for iPhones is the most sophisticated single-input procurement program in consumer electronics. Samsung SDI's EV battery business (NMC prismatic cells for BMW iX, Rivian, Stellantis) is growing faster than its consumer electronics segment.

Sunwoda Electronic Co., Ltd.

HQ CN8% share

Chinese consumer electronics battery manufacturer; major supplier to Huawei, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo smartphones. Listed on Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Produces LCO polymer cells for phones and LFP/NMC for other applications. Competes directly with ATL for Android OEM supply.