ATL (company). Amperex Technology Limited (ATL) is a battery manufacturing company founded in 1999 by Robin Zeng. The company specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of rechargeable lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries. ATL is notable for supplying batteries used in mobile devices, including smartphones, laptops, and digital cameras, sourcing their products to tech companies such as Apple and Samsung.

ATL is headquartered in Hong Kong and has production facilities in Dongguan and Ningde, China, as well as in Haryana, India.

Company history 

Zeng Yuqun, more commonly known as Robin Zeng, founded ATL in 1999. Operating from the company headquarters in Hong Kong, Zeng acquired technology licenses from US companies to make batteries for laptops and MP3 players.

Two years after establishment, ATL was able to produce batteries for 1 million devices. In the aftermath of this success, the company was acquired by TDK in 2005. Zeng continued managing ATL after the acquisition together with Huang Shilin. TDK's acquisition saw ATL expand its production into the smartphone market, becoming a key battery supplier to prominent technology companies like Samsung and Apple.

In 2006, ATL started exploring the electric vehicle (EV) battery market, with the first inquiry coming from Indian car company, Reva. Given the fundamental differences between batteries used in EVs and those in portable devices, ATL's founders Zeng and Huang established a dedicated research department for EV battery development.

In 2008, some of ATL's early EV batteries were used in a demo fleet of electric buses during the Beijing Olympics. This marked the company's first foray into the EV market. In 2011, Zeng and Huang separated ATL's EV battery business into a new company, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited  (CATL).

ATL continued its growth trajectory and, in the first quarter of 2020, it held the largest revenue share (36.5%) in the smartphone battery market. Later in 2020, the company expanded its operations to India by acquiring 180 acres of industrial land in Haryana, aiming to supply batteries to the country's smartphone and EV industries.

In 2023, ATL formed strategic partnerships with Group14 Technologies and AM Batteries. The partnership with Group14 Technologies aimed at integrating advanced silicon battery technology to improve ATL's battery performance, while the collaboration with AM Batteries focused on developing solvent-free electrode manufacturing technology, addressing environmental concerns in the lithium-ion battery production industry.

Footprint

ATL is headquartered in Hong Kong, with subsidiaries in Ningde and Dongguan, China, as well as India.

ATL's parent company, TDK, is expected to begin manufacturing batteries for iPhones in India starting in 2025.

Relationship with CATL 
Huang Shilin co-founded ATL along with Zeng Yuqun in 1999, and would later become the vice chairman and Zeng's second in command at CATL.

CATL was formed in 2011 as a spin-off of ATL's EV battery division.

In 2021, Ampace was founded as a joint venture between ATL and CATL. The company is headquartered in Xiamen. While ATL has generally specialized in small batteries such as those used in smartphones and laptops, and CATL has specialized in large batteries used in EVs, Ampace has focused on medium sized batteries such as those used in electric scooters, UAVs, and power tools.

In January 2024, Ampace launched a battery management system (BMS) intended to improve safety and reliability in medium sized applications. Other products developed by Ampace include the Andes 600 Pro, a 600 watt portable power station, and the Kunlun series ultra-long lifecycle batteries.

In April 2022, ATL and CATL partnered to establish a joint venture called the "Xiamen Ampcore Technology Limited" to further expand into the electric vehicles business. Xiamen Ampcore Technology Limited's capital is 5 billion RMB, with ATL having a 30% stake and CATL having a 70% stake. The same year, ATL and CATL also established a battery pack joint venture called "Xiamen Ampack Technology Limited" capital is RMB 1 billion, with ATL holding 70% and CATL holding 30%. ATL established Xiamen Ampeak Technology Limited, in which ATL owns 100% of the shares, as a holding company of the two joint ventures.

References

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Battery manufacturers
Companies of Hong Kong
Chinese companies established in 1999
Electronics companies established in 1999
Chinese brands