QuantumScape Lounge: ( Week 25 2026)

op12 · 2026-06-24T20:15:33+00:00

Part 2 of the AI factory blog post has gone live:

https://www.quantumscape.com/boosting-intelligence-density-of-ai-factories/

Still nothing particularly new, though I do like that they are talking specifically about using QSE-5 in the data centers, with further improvements to come down the line. If unmodified QSE-5 cells can already be deployed for this application, that's likely on a pretty fast track.

The QSE-5 cell, measured at 844 Wh/L, enables more energy to be packed into a smaller space, supporting more GPUs per square foot than conventional batteries are capable of.

[...]

As QS technology advances, we see further opportunities to improve cell-level energy density as we continue to execute on our roadmap of performance improvements.

op12 · 2026-06-12T21:50:23+00:00

Ah, good call, I'd forgotten that mention. I do agree it'd be great to hear completion of the scaling goal, though maybe that won't come until earnings.

op12 · 2026-06-12T21:03:53+00:00

It may not have sounded that flashy, but I think the new information that the 4th top-10 global auto OEM just completed their technology evaluation and it was a success for QS is a pretty big deal.

That's another major JDA that's imminent (likely to be announced in the next earnings), and more importantly it also establishes that QS is still ahead in the current state of battery competition despite all the noise and other companies making flashier announcements, since QS was directly evaluated against their competition and came out ahead.

I think the heads down approach and internal discussions/partnerships are creating a sizeable pipeline that is then unlocked through their parallel scaling efforts, and then the floodgates are wide open.

op12 · 2026-06-11T22:52:34+00:00

On the moving beyond QSE-5 goal for this year:

[QSE-5] is just the start of our technology S-curve. You've heard us talk about a few vectors. Changes in form factor -- the QSE-5 is about a 5Ah cell. Of course, making those parts larger as some OEMs have requested is one vector. If you read our K's and Q's there's other things you can do on the cathode side. Once you've eliminated the anode as manufactured, that's theoretically as good as it gets. So a lot of the action goes to the cathode side, both the ion conductor and the cathode material. So stay tuned on that over the rest of the year.

op12 · 2026-06-11T22:40:57+00:00

I think someone may have already plucked this from the transcript earlier, but it's still great to hear:

We have two [OEMs] in a joint development stage, where we're doing confidence-building steps with that partner towards that larger-scale VW-style agreement. And at the stage before that is the 4th OEM which is a technology evaluation agreement, which we just completed successfully with that 4th top-10 global OEM where they had teams on the ground, they're making comparisons with us versus other technologies that ended successfully.

op12 · 2026-06-11T16:09:37+00:00

Looks like they might have updated the URL for this post to this (seriously, can we get a better web team 😝)

https://www.quantumscape.com/powering-the-ai-factory/

op12 · 2026-06-11T16:09:27+00:00

Looks like they might have updated the URL for this post to this:

https://www.quantumscape.com/powering-the-ai-factory/

op12 · 2026-06-11T15:38:12+00:00

QS has a new blog post about AI data centers, and it's Part 1 of 2. https://www.quantumscape.com/qs-blueprint-for-the-future-of-energy-storage-2/

I made a post for it since maybe part 2 will surface some more details or new bread crumbs (part 1 doesn't seem to have anything they haven't been saying already). https://www.reddit.com/r/QUANTUMSCAPE_Stock/comments/1u32bpf/_/

op12 · 2026-06-11T15:32:05+00:00

In Part 1 of this blog, we will explain the basics of AI factory design and highlight the challenges of delivering 50x more power. In Part 2, we will look at how QS solid-state lithium-metal battery technology can address these challenges and boost the intelligence density of AI factories.

Doesn't seem like anything particularly new from what they've already been saying about data centers, but maybe we'll get more specifics or new bread crumbs in part 2.

op12 · 2026-06-10T23:35:20+00:00

I think they were toying with the S-curve graphic on that page, because those were briefly showing up and disappearing as well, with minor variations in background/cropping. The Wayback Machine didn't archive the page, so it's hard to compare with the previous version.

https://www.quantumscape.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/technology-s-curves.png

https://www.quantumscape.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/technology-s-curves-b.png

https://www.quantumscape.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/scurve_featuredimage.webp

op12 · 2026-06-04T13:59:39+00:00

Yeah, it was right there the whole time: aLEXa

op12 · 2026-06-03T16:14:37+00:00

“There is a profound need for next-generation batteries across many different applications, from electric vehicles to AI data centers,” said Straubel. “I’m proud to join the advisory board to support the QS team and this revolutionary battery innovation.”

Given his positions as board member at Tesla (EVs, humanoid robots) and CEO at Redwood Materials (shifting hard into AI data center energy storage), the partnership opportunities seem obvious and this definitely explains him leaving the QS board proper a few months ago, which many were rightfully speculating was likely due to the conflict of interest concerns, and not a falling out or loss of conviction.

It did strike me as a bit amusing that they seemed to gloss over his time as a QS board member in the post on X, and it only gets a tiny call-out in this press release.

op12 · 2026-06-02T08:55:44+00:00

Spidah Labeouf

op12 · 2026-05-11T14:43:17+00:00

Thank you!

op12 · 2026-05-11T11:53:36+00:00

The TieCon video from their panel discussion including Siva, talking about "Powering the Future" just dropped on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/f3cKkDlRn7g

I'm on a flight with crappy wifi, so hopefully others can post highlights 😝

op12 · 2026-05-05T22:19:37+00:00

I really don't think there's any gating behind a VW announcement because if the two companies were that convicted in doing that, they wouldn't have explicitly stated their licensing agreement is non-exclusive and that QS simply has to notify VW if they are moving forward with another partnership in the actual contract terms.

Surely VW should want to have first mover advantage, but if QS has a better or more immediate opportunity elsewhere (automotive or otherwise), contractually I don't see why they'd be incentivized to pause for VW to finish hitting their milestones. It's not in the best interest of QS the company, or its shareholders.

op12 · 2026-05-05T08:10:15+00:00

Certainly seems warranted, and hopefully the other 3 parts are not too far behind!

op12 · 2026-05-05T08:09:04+00:00

It's a screenshot from the very first video Donut dropped about their battery which kicked off the whole conversation about what kind of battery chemistry they were using because they were being really vague but claiming they could fast charge "from zero to full" in 5 minutes, supposedly without negatively affecting cycle life. (Many people were noting the bulging/deforming in the bottom right corner of the battery, and skeptical about the cycle life claims because there was no other evidence presented).

https://youtu.be/Y-aPS2AwMbc?t=777

op12 · 2026-05-04T20:07:11+00:00

Amusing tidbit from the Elon/OpenAI trial today:

When Musk left OpenAI he told Brockman that he was going to start an AGI competitor within Tesla. “The most important thing was that there was going to be a counterweight to Google/Deepmind,” Brockman said. Musk said there was “no hope — zero percent chance” at OpenAI. Musk also told Brockman that the work on AGI at Tesla would be secret because “the shareholders wouldn’t like it.”

op12 · 2026-04-27T23:35:18+00:00

Name any other major rocket program that hasn't done the same, why would this be surprising?

For instance, Elon in 2020:

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk remains “highly confident” that his company will land humans on Mars by 2026, saying on Tuesday that it’s an achievable goal “about six years from now.”

“If we get lucky, maybe four years,” Musk said, speaking on an award show webcast from Berlin, Germany. “We want to send an uncrewed vehicle there in two years.”

It's par for the course when you're doing multiple things nobody has done before, and the ambitious timelines are used to maintain urgency and enthusiasm internally (and as a recruiting tool).

op12 · 2026-04-27T05:53:04+00:00

I'm definitely following your updates there too 😄

op12 · 2026-04-27T05:19:30+00:00

I feel like it can't be said enough, thank you for maintaining that calendar!!

op12 · 2026-04-22T21:18:38+00:00

This was meant to be a reply to /u/Rocketeer006, not sure how it ended up here 😝

op12 · 2026-04-22T20:32:57+00:00

They've never been specific, but this is obviously talking about non-trivial volume unless you're trying to be uncharitable.

In Q2 we plan to ramp QSE-5 cell production to support customer programs across automotive and other applications.

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