CATL Chairman Robin Zeng said at the 2026 World Energy Storage Conference that energy storage is gradually transforming from a supporting facility for new energy into an indispensable new type of infrastructure for power systems. He pointed out that new loads such as AI Data Centers (AIDC) are growing rapidly, placing higher demands on power supply reliability and grid regulation capabilities. He even noted that in China, a surge in AIDC load almost caused grid fluctuations and even paralysis. In the first half of this year, global lithium-ion energy storage battery shipments reached 461.3 GWh, a year-on-year increase of 71%, with markets outside China accounting for over half for the first time. CATL has established the Energy Storage Technology Validation Research Institute, with a planned total investment of approximately 3 billion yuan, and has systematically validated 32 projects globally, involving battery capacity exceeding 16 GWh.