LS Electric to showcase next-gen power solutions at Elecs Vietnam 2025
At the event, scheduled for July 16 to 18 at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center in Ho Chi Minh City, LS Electric will present its next-generation power management system integrated with a smart grid distribution solution and ultra-high voltage transformers.
Leveraging its world-leading manufacturing capabilities in power electronics-based inverters known for high energy efficiency, the company plans to showcase an advanced energy storage system platform alongside locally tailored ESS products. A key feature of this platform is the modularization of its power electronics building block in 200-kilowatt units, allowing for easy power scaling and flexible applicability without needing to redesign the entire system.
Additionally, LS Electric will unveil IoT-based digital technology solutions for energy optimization, including its digital twin smart factory platform, 'Smart Management Insight,' asset management systems, the energy efficiency management platform 'GridSol CUBE,' and the power facility integrated management platform 'GridSol CARE.'
The company will also introduce the 'LS SHE (Safety, Health, Environment) with AI' platform, an artificial intelligence-based safety control solution that integrates and analyzes real-time data from smart safety devices and camera monitoring.
LS Electric aims to expand its presence in the ASEAN power infrastructure market, capitalizing on Vietnam and Indonesia as strategic bases.
Vietnam, in particular, has been pushing for renewable energy generation projects under its 8th Power Development Plan, launching policies to build smart grids for enhanced efficiency and stability. Since entering Vietnam in the mid-1990s, the company has maintained its leadership position with a market share exceeding 40 percent in the low-voltage power equipment sector since 2013.
In 2023, LS Electric significantly increased its production capacity in Vietnam from $25 million to $40 million annually by relocating its Bac Ninh facility to the Yen Phong Industrial Complex. The company has diversified its business across the entire power system industry by acquiring Symphos, an Indonesian power equipment supplier, and expanding into high-end products such as ultra-high voltage gas-insulated switchgear.
'We aim to solidify our position as the leading company in Vietnam -- a top-three market for Korean power suppliers -- and firmly establish our business capabilities for ASEAN customers,' stated an official from LS Electric. 'With aggressive investments in local power systems and high-end strategic products such as transformers and ESS, we will deepen our reach into the ASEAN region, emerging as a global data center hub.'
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[Lee Byung-jong] Time for Korea's brain gain
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As a result, countries around the world have begun courting scientists and academics disillusioned with the American system, offering them better support, autonomy and respect for their work. Canada, for example, has positioned itself as a haven for displaced US-based academics, offering generous funding and robust institutional support. The University of Toronto has successfully recruited several leading researchers from American universities in recent years. Similar efforts are underway in Europe. Aix-Marseille University in France recently offered 15 positions specifically aimed at US-based scholars. Across the continent, institutions in the UK, Germany and elsewhere are actively attracting American talent, especially as diplomatic and trade tensions with the US continue to rise. China is another key player in this new global race for talent. Armed with extensive government funding, a vast research infrastructure, and a clear national strategy, China has been aggressively courting global experts. Many China-born scientists and engineers, educated and employed in the US, are returning home, driven partly by growing anti-China sentiment in the US. However, China's ambitions face a critical limitation: a lack of academic freedom. For many international scholars, concerns about censorship and political interference make China a less appealing destination. Hong Kong once offered an alternative, but increasing control from Beijing has narrowed that window as well. In this global context, South Korea stands out as a country with both the motivation and the means to benefit from the US brain drain. Although it is still an emerging power in basic sciences, Korea has made impressive strides. Its universities may not yet be counted among the global elite, but their quality has improved dramatically. 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Major conglomerates such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG and Posco pour enormous sums into their research centers and also support affiliated institutions like Postech. The government-run Institute for Basic Science, launched in 2011, collaborates with these players in key fields including biotechnology, AI, semiconductors, physics, robotics and battery research. These investments are already producing results. The IBS has recruited world-class talent such as Kim Ki-moon, an expert in supramolecular chemistry, and Noh Do-young, a leader in advanced X-ray science — both of whom returned from prestigious US laboratories. At KAIST, Cho Kwang-hyun, a systems biology expert trained in the US, is leading cutting-edge research. Foreign talent, while still rare, is also starting to arrive. One standout is Rodney S. Ruoff, an American chemist renowned for his work in carbon materials, who joined IBS to lead nanomaterials research. He praised IBS for offering 'unprecedented freedom' compared to US institutions. Institutions across Korea are making efforts to attract more of this kind of talent. The Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology, for example, is actively recruiting global doctoral-level researchers in AI as part of a joint initiative with the Ministry of Science and ICT. Its postdoctoral fellowship program offers highly attractive compensation — up to 90 million won ($ 64,700) annually — along with research funding and opportunities for industry collaboration. These moves are designed not only to build domestic expertise but also to internationalize Korea's research environment. Ultimately, all these efforts toward brain gain aim to strengthen Korea's global standing in R&D, which still lags behind its industrial and manufacturing dominance. 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