Top 10: Gigafactories

Electrification is one of the largest industrial and economic shifts of the 21st century.

Global demand for batteries is set to increase 20 times by 2040, according to McKinsey. 

To provide for this demand, more than 200 gigafactories will be required around the world.

The term gigafactory was coined by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in 2013 on the announcement of its Nevada facility, with the prefix "giga" referring to production capacity measured in gigawatt-hours.

Manufacturing Digital has ranked 10 of the top gigafactories by capacity.

10. Gotion Nanjing Base

Company: Gotion High Tech
CEO: Li Zhen
Location: Nanjing, China
Capacity: 30 GWh

Gotion’s Nanjing facility is designed as an intelligent factory with high levels of automation and digitalisation. 

It primarily produces lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and ternary lithium batteries. 

The site spans approximately 480 acres with a total building area of more than 220,000 square metres. 

Gotion broke ground on a 200,000 tonne cathode material project in Lujiang on January 6, 2026 to ensure the Nanjing facility has a stable supply of LFP materials.

9. Samsung SDI Göd

Company: Samsung SDI
CEO: Joo-Sun Choi
Location: Göd, Hungary
Capacity: 40 GWh

Samsung’s Göd facility primarily makes stacked prismatic battery cells that allow for higher energy density and better thermal management. 

This plant originally produced plasma display panels before being transformed to be the company’s first battery facility in 2017. 

It now produces enough batteries to power roughly 600,000 EVs every year. 

In response to demand from partners like BMW, the site is expanding to include 46-phi cylindrical cells which provide better performance and faster charging.

8. Gigafactory Nevada

Company: Tesla
CEO: Elon Musk
Location: Nevada, US
Capacity: 43 GWh

Tesla’s Gigafactory Nevada primarily produces 2170 cylindrical battery cells used in the Model 3 and Model Y produced in North America. 

Panasonic occupies roughly half of the factory’s floor space, responsible for the chemistry and production of cells. 

Tesla takes those finished cells and assembles them into battery packs. 

In July 2024, Panasonic celebrated the production of its 10 billionth cell at the Nevada plant.

“Reflecting on our journey from humble beginnings to this momentous milestone of delivering 10 billion cells is profound,” says Allan Swan, President of Panasonic Energy of North America.

7. Ultium Cells Warren

Company: Ultium Cells
CEO: Injae Pahk
Location: Ohio, US
Capacity: 45 GWh

The Ultium Cells facility in Warren, Ohio was the first gigafactory born from the joint venture between General Motors and LG Energy Solution.

The facility spans 2.8 million square feet and total investment in the site is more than US$2.3bn.

It uses NCMA (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese-Aluminum) chemistry, with 70% less cobalt than earlier General Motors batteries.

These cells power the Ultium Platform used in vehicles like the Cadillac LYRIQ, GMC Hummer EV, Chevy Silverado EV and BrightDrop electric vans.

6. Xi'an FinDreams Battery

Company: BYD
CEO: Wang Chuanfu
Location: Xi’an City, China
Capacity: 50 GWh

Part of the Xi’an Industrial Park, this facility supports the site’s output of more than a million vehicles. 

The facility operates on a lights-out philosophy in many sections, where the manufacturing of cells continues around the clock with minimal human intervention.

It produces the second-generation Blade Battery using AI quality control. 

Advanced neural networks monitor the production line in real-time, scanning for deviations in electrode alignment or material composition. 

Before a batch of cells is run, the entire process is simulated using digital twins.

5. CALB Xiamen Base

Company: CALB
CEO: Liu Jingyu
Location: Xiamen, China
Capacity: 60 GWh

The batteries produced in CALB’s Xiamen facility support major EV models from XPeng, NIO and Leapmotor.

It uses AI-driven quality control and big data to track every cell from chemical mixing to final assembly.

Beyond passenger cars, the Xiamen base has ramped up production of 314Ah high-capacity cells designed specifically for the global energy storage market.

CALB uses rooftop solar arrays and closed-loop water recycling systems within the facility to reduce its environmental impact.

4. SK On Yancheng

Company: SK On
Co-CEOs: Lee Seok-hee and Lee Young-wook
Location: Yancheng, China
Capacity: 60 GWh

The SK On Yancheng plant is situated near Kia’s Yancheng manufacturing facilities, serving as a primary supplier for its EV lineup.

In late 2025, SK On exited its joint venture in Huizhou to take 100% control of Yancheng Plant 1.

While Yancheng was built for high-nickel NCM (Nickel-Cobalt-Manganese) batteries, SK On is retooling portions of the site for LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate).

It uses the Z-folding stacking method where the separator is folded in a zigzag pattern between the anode and cathode.

3. EVE Energy Jingmen

Company: EVE Energy
Chairman: Liu Jincheng
Location: Jingmen, China
Capacity: 73 GWh

The EVE Energy Jingmen gigafactory has achieved Lighthouse Factory status from the World Economic Forum as a leader in Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies like AI and extreme automation.

The factory uses an AI vision inspection system that inspects every cell in 0.3 seconds, achieves 100% inspection coverage with zero missed defects and maintains a first-pass yield of more than 97%.

AIoT sensors monitor gas levels and temperature in real-time during the formation and aging phases where the battery is first charged.

2. LG Energy Solution Wrocław

Company: LG Energy Solution
CEO: Dong Myung Kim
Location: Wrocław, Poland
Capacity: 86 GWh

Since production began at LG Energy Solution’s Wrocław facility in 2016, it has produced millions of batteries while operating on 100% carbon-neutral electricity.

The entire factory exists in a digital metaverse environment, where engineers can use AI-driven simulations to predict how changes will affect the battery's lifespan.

Wrocław specialises in pouch-type cells, which are flexible, lightweight and offer high energy density and has expanded to also produce energy storage systems.

Jangha Lee, President of LG Energy Solution Wrocław, explains: “Previously, we focused on expansion—building new facilities and production lines on site. 

“Now, with this extensive infrastructure in place, we must concentrate on perfecting what we have created, and that is much more difficult.

“This facility was created through hard work. It is not just advanced machines and equipment—above all, it is the experience and engineering expertise of our employees that make this laboratory what it is.”

1. CATL Liyang

Company: CATL
CEO: Robin Zeng
Location: Liyang, China
Capacity: 126 GWh

CATL’s Liyang facility has transitioned from mass production to what the company calls “extreme manufacturing”. 

Since its designation as a Lighthouse Factory, it has seen a 320% increase in output and a 33% reduction in manufacturing costs.

While the industry standard for defects is measured in parts per million, Liyang operates at parts per billion. 

It uses computer vision for micron-level inspection. Every single cell is photographed using high-speed 3D cameras and assessed with AI edge computing to inspect welds at a micron level. 

In some of CATL’s advanced lines, a single battery cell is produced every one second and an entire battery pack is assembled in under three minutes.

To stay flexible, the facility uses additive manufacturing and virtual simulations to create and test new fixtures. Traditionally, changing a production line for a new battery model takes weeks but here, it is done in days.