Forge Nano has broken ground on a major expansion of its lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility in Morrisville, North Carolina, as it works to increase domestic battery production for defence, aerospace and other critical US markets.
The expansion will increase the existing 100,000-square-foot operation to a manufacturing campus approaching 315,000 square feet. Once fully operational, the site is expected to provide around 3 GWh of annual battery cell manufacturing capacity and create more than 250 jobs in North Carolina.
Forge Nano said the development is intended to address US dependence on foreign-controlled battery supply chains by establishing a secure domestic manufacturing hub for advanced lithium-ion cells.
“Today’s groundbreaking marks an important step toward building a battery supply chain in America,” said Paul Lichty, CEO of Forge Nano. “We’re combining Forge Nano’s technology with world-class manufacturing expertise, federal support and North Carolina’s growing advanced manufacturing ecosystem to bring critical battery production to the United States. America’s Battery Gigafactory will give defense, aerospace and commercial customers access to advanced battery cells manufactured here at home, at the scale needed to compete globally.”
The project is backed by up to $100 million in non-dilutive funding from the US Department of Energy. Construction is expected to begin imminently, with manufacturing equipment due to arrive over the next two years and production planned to start in 2028.
At full capacity, the facility is expected to produce approximately 150 million battery cells annually. The output could support applications including drone batteries, electric military vehicles, radio batteries and energy storage system containers.
Forge Nano is also working with Samsung SDI, which is supporting the Morrisville facility with manufacturing and operational expertise. Samsung SDI has conditionally agreed to purchase cells produced at the site from 2028.
The companies are also working to incorporate Forge Nano’s Atomic Armor® technology into future Samsung SDI battery products. Samsung SDI strengthened the partnership in July with a $20 million strategic investment in Forge Nano.
Image: Forge Nano executive leadership team breaks ground on its Morrisville, NC lithium-ion battery manufacturing facility alongside North Carolina Senator Ted Budd, U.S. Representative Deborah Ross, Mayor of Morrisville TJ Cawley and the Assistant Secretary of the Department of Energy Audrey Robertson. Credit: Forge Nano.
