Prediction Is the Key in the Renewable Energy Era, AI Cuts the Error

*Editor's Note: 'AI PRISM' (Personalized Report & Insight Summarizing Media) is an "artificial intelligence (AI)-based customized news recommendation and summary service" developed with support from the Korea Press Foundation. It selects and provides six customized news items by reader type.

1. 'Virtual Power Plants' That Predict Solar and Wind Output Are on the Rise

- Key Summary: As the share of renewable energy generation grows, intermittency—in which output fluctuates depending on the weather—is threatening the stability of the power grid. In response, the government has operated a generation-forecasting system since October 2021, under which renewable energy plants submit next-day output forecasts in advance. In Korea, VPP startups such as VPP Lab, Sixty Hertz, and H Energy are achieving results, lowering forecasting error rates to the 3–5% range with weather-data refinement and machine-learning models. As the government prepares to expand a real-time renewable energy bidding system nationwide, VPP operators are also working to advance real-time forecasting and response technology.

2. Shinhan Investment & Securities Invests in German Defense Unicorn Quantum Systems

- Key Summary: Shinhan Investment & Securities invested about 20 billion won in the Series D funding round of German defense-tech company Quantum Systems, the only domestic institution to participate. Quantum Systems raised a total of $1.2 billion (about 1.7 trillion won) in the round, and its valuation rose eightfold in one year to about $8 billion. The investment was jointly led by Balderton, Notion, Airbus, and Advent, among others, with major global institutional investors including Fidelity and Wellington also participating. Quantum Systems is a German defense deep-tech company that develops AI-based unmanned systems and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) software, with a track record of carrying out more than 19,000 real-world missions in Ukraine.

3. European Department Stores and Perfume Industry Court K-Beauty

- Key Summary: Britain's John Lewis department store and Germany's retailer Douglas are joining hands with K-beauty brands one after another, opening dedicated stores and exclusive pop-ups. After searches for Korean skincare rose about 800% over the past year, John Lewis brought in 20 brands including Beauty of Joseon and Medicube. According to the Korea Customs Service, cosmetics exports to Europe in the first half of this year reached $1.59623 billion, surpassing North America ($1.57035 billion) for the first time on a half-year basis, and the industry says the K-Beauty 3.0 era has begun. APR (278470), Dalba Global (483650), and Goodai Global are also expanding their presence in European distribution channels such as Sephora and Boots.

4. Naver Develops Robot Service Design Platform for Non-Developers

- Key Summary: Naver Labs Europe, an R&D subsidiary of Naver, has developed 'ARC Brain Flow,' a no-code and low-code platform that allows even non-developers to design robot services. The platform is a solution that easily adjusts the service implementation of Naver's robot control system ARC Brain for each site, allowing users to create customized services by combining functions such as robot routes and delivery completion notifications. Since establishing Naver Labs in 2017, Naver has developed a cloud-based control system and a web-based robot operating system (OS) called 'ARC Mind,' and the new platform is seen as completing the last piece of the ARC ecosystem. Market research firm Global Market Insights forecast that the robot software market will grow from $29.6 billion this year to $185.2 billion by 2036.

5. Dalba Global Invests 14.6 Billion Won in Perfume Brand 'Cuoca'

- Key Summary: Dalba Global is acquiring a 33.61% stake in Cuoca Skin, which operates the premium perfume brand Cuoca, for 14.6 billion won. It has added the perfume category to its skincare-centered business structure to target the K-perfume market, and has also secured the right to expand its stake up to 90% after three years. Cuoca is a brand that started in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, in 2019, and has entered overseas premium distribution channels such as Japan's Isetan and Hong Kong's Sephora, posting an average annual revenue growth rate of 146% in 2023–2024. With this investment, Dalba Global is securing a new growth axis following skincare.

6. U.S. Bans Imports of Robots and Inverters Targeting China

- Key Summary: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a full ban on imports of new models of humanoid robots and quadruped robots, as well as inverters that connect renewable energy sources to the power grid. The measure effectively targets Chinese-made robots and inverters, with the U.S. government citing national security concerns such as data surveillance through robots and remote shutdown of inverters. According to TrendForce, China's humanoid robot production this year surged 94% from a year earlier, with Unitree and EngineAI expected to account for 80% of it, dealing a direct blow to Unitree, which had planned to install Nvidia Blackwell chips in its robots. However, the measure does not apply to devices consumers previously purchased, sales of previously approved models, or federal government purchases and use.