Mission Statement, Vision, & Core Values of SES AI Corporation (SES)

You're looking at SES AI Corporation (SES) because its core principles-Mission, Vision, and Core Values-are the foundational scaffolding for its financial trajectory, and in the high-stakes battery race, that matters more than ever.

This isn't just corporate boilerplate; it's the blueprint for a company that, as of its Q3 2025 report, is guiding toward a full-year revenue of between $20 million and $25 million, all while holding a substantial liquidity position of $214 million.

How does a firm focused on accelerating the world's energy transition through material discovery and battery management, which recorded a Q3 net loss of $20.9 million, still command that kind of cash runway? What are the non-financial drivers-the vision and values-that justify the market's patience and the company's aggressive acquisition of UZ Energy?

To be a smart investor or strategist, you defintely need to map that operational reality to the company's stated purpose; let's dive into the principles that underpin their push to be the world leader in high-performance Li-Metal batteries.

SES AI Corporation (SES) Overview

You need a clear picture of SES AI Corporation's (SES) foundation and current operational reality before diving into the financials. This company, founded in 2012 out of MIT, is not just another battery startup; it's a global developer and manufacturer of AI-enhanced high-performance Li-Metal and Li-ion batteries, with headquarters in Boston and operations spanning Singapore, Shanghai, and Seoul.

Their core value proposition centers on Molecular Universe, a proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) software platform that accelerates the discovery of new battery materials, like novel electrolytes. This AI-driven approach is what separates them from traditional battery makers. Their products, such as the high-energy-density Apollo Li-Metal cell and the new AI-enhanced 2170 cylindrical cell for robotics, are aimed at the next generation of electric vehicles (EVs), urban air mobility (UAM), and drones.

In a major strategic move, SES AI acquired UZ Energy, a European and Asian energy storage systems (ESS) provider, which immediately expanded their product revenue stream. This acquisition, completed in September 2025, is a clear signal they are moving from pure R&D to commercializing solutions across the entire energy value chain. For the full fiscal year 2025, the company has updated its revenue guidance to a range of $20 million to $25 million, reflecting the new contribution from UZ Energy.

2025 Financial Performance: Revenue and Growth

Let's talk numbers, because that's where the strategy hits the road. SES AI's third quarter 2025 (Q3 2025) results, reported in early November, showed a significant inflection point, with revenue hitting $7.1 million. That's a massive 102% sequential increase over the second quarter of 2025, which is defintely a record for them.

Here's the quick math on what drove that jump: the revenue split was approximately $3.90 million from service revenue-mostly contracts with automotive Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) for AI-enhanced EV battery development-and $3.22 million from product revenue. The UZ Energy acquisition contributed approximately 45% of that product revenue, showing immediate traction in the Energy Storage Systems (ESS) market.

Still, you need to be a trend-aware realist: the company reported a GAAP net loss of $20.9 million for Q3 2025, or $(0.06) per share, which underscores the ongoing, heavy investment required to scale next-generation battery technology. What this estimate hides is the underlying strength of their balance sheet, which ended the quarter with a strong liquidity position of $214 million in cash and no debt.

• Q3 2025 Total Revenue: $7.1 million.
• Q3 2025 Net Loss: $20.9 million.
• Nine-Month 2025 Sales: $16.44 million.
• Full-Year 2025 Revenue Guidance: $20 million to $25 million.

SES AI: A Leader in AI-Enhanced Battery Technology

SES AI Corporation is not just competing in the battery space; they are actively working to redefine it, positioning themselves as a global leader in the development and manufacturing of AI-enhanced high-performance Li-Metal and Li-ion batteries. They are the first battery company in the world to accelerate their pace of innovation by utilizing 'superintelligent AI' across their entire business, from research and development to manufacturing and battery health monitoring.

This AI-first strategy is a critical differentiator, especially as the global Energy Storage System (ESS) market alone is a massive $300 billion opportunity they are now targeting through the UZ Energy acquisition. Their joint venture with Hisun New Energy Materials to commercially supply materials discovered by Molecular Universe further solidifies their move to control the entire value chain, from material discovery to commercial cell production. Their technology is backed by partnerships with major automotive OEMs like General Motors, Honda, and Hyundai. To be fair, this is a capital-intensive race, but SES is playing a different game by leading with AI-driven material science. If you want to understand the full scope of their strategy and how this AI-driven approach translates into a competitive edge, you should check out this deep dive: SES AI Corporation (SES): History, Ownership, Mission, How It Works & Makes Money.

SES AI Corporation (SES) Mission Statement

The mission statement for SES AI Corporation is a clear, actionable mandate: to accelerate the world's energy transition through material discovery and battery management. This isn't just corporate boilerplate; it's a guide that maps directly to their core business, particularly as they navigate the volatile, pre-commercialization phase of next-generation battery technology. Honestly, a mission this specific helps investors and partners see exactly where the company is spending its capital and R&D dollars.

For a company like SES, which is pioneering Lithium-Metal (Li-Metal) batteries-a technology promising higher energy density than traditional Lithium-ion-this mission is critical. It defines the long-term goal of enabling sustainable electric transportation, but also the immediate, technical steps to get there. It's the north star for every engineering decision, from the lab in Woburn, Massachusetts, to the pilot-scale production facility in Shanghai. You can see the mission in the numbers, too: the company updated its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to between $20 million and $25 million, a target that directly relies on executing this mission through new contracts and product launches.

Component 1: Accelerating the Energy Transition

The first component, accelerating the world's energy transition, is the market-facing objective. It's about getting their high-performance battery technology out of the lab and into vehicles and storage systems that actually make a difference. This means tackling the biggest pain points for electric vehicles (EVs) and other applications like Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): range, charging speed, and safety.

You can see this commitment in their recent strategic moves. For example, the acquisition of UZ Energy in 2025 immediately bolstered their presence in the Energy Storage Systems (ESS) market, a sector critical for grid-scale energy transition. Plus, they signed contracts totaling up to $10 million in January 2025 to develop AI-enhanced batteries with two major automotive OEM partners, validating their technology's readiness for the electric vehicle market. That's a concrete step toward an electric future, not just a promise.

• Target EVs, UAM, and ESS markets.
• Validate technology with major OEM contracts.
• Expand into grid storage via acquisition.

Component 2: Material Discovery

This is where the 'AI' in SES AI Corporation truly comes into play. Material discovery is the foundation of their high-energy-density Li-Metal batteries, and their proprietary platform, Molecular Universe, is the engine. This platform uses artificial intelligence (AI) to map the vast universe of small molecules, drastically cutting the time it takes to find new and better electrolyte materials-from years down to what they claim can be tens of minutes.

The company is monetizing this core capability, not just using it internally. They launched Molecular Universe 1.0 (MU-1) in late 2025, offering it as an enterprise-level subscription service to other battery makers and OEMs. This is a smart move, turning an R&D cost center into a revenue stream. They also established a Joint Venture with Hisun New Materials in October 2025 to commercially supply materials discovered by Molecular Universe, proving the commercial viability of their AI-driven findings. This is defintely a high-margin business, which is why their Q2 2025 gross margin was a strong 74%, primarily from service contracts with OEM customers.

You should check out Exploring SES AI Corporation (SES) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why? for more on how this AI strategy impacts their valuation.

Component 3: Battery Management

The final pillar, battery management, is all about delivering on the promise of quality and safety, especially with a next-generation chemistry like Li-Metal. High energy density is useless if the battery isn't safe or reliable over its lifespan. SES addresses this with its Avatar platform, which is essentially an AI for safety and manufacturing.

Avatar has two main functions: AI for Manufacturing, which catches defects that traditional quality control might miss, and AI for Safety, which predicts battery health and accurately forecasts potential issues in the field. This focus on quality is non-negotiable for automotive partners like General Motors, Hyundai, and Honda, who are collaborating with SES on B-Sample joint development agreements. A rigorous battery management system helps maintain customer confidence and, frankly, protects the company from catastrophic recalls. For Q3 2025, the company reported a GAAP net loss of $20.9 million, which shows they are still heavily investing in this kind of critical R&D, prioritizing long-term safety and quality over near-term profitability.

SES AI Corporation (SES) Vision Statement

You're looking for the North Star guiding SES AI Corporation, and it's not a single, flowery sentence; it's a set of concrete, interlocking goals centered on their proprietary lithium-metal (Li-Metal) technology and their all-in-on-AI strategy. The core of their vision is simple: to be the world leader in developing and manufacturing high-performance Li-Metal batteries, accelerating the global energy transition with AI-enhanced material discovery.

This isn't just lab talk. It's a capital-intensive race, and their Q3 2025 results show they are deploying a strong liquidity position of $214 million to fund this vision, even while reporting a GAAP net loss of $20.9 million for the quarter.

Accelerating the World's Energy Transition Through AI

The company's mission is to 'accelerate the world's energy transition through material discovery and battery management.' This means they aren't just building batteries; they are using artificial intelligence (AI) to fundamentally change how battery materials are found. Their Molecular Universe platform is the engine here, mapping a universe of small molecules to find optimal electrolytes faster than human R&D ever could.

This AI focus is defintely a near-term opportunity, as evidenced by the launch of their latest version, Molecular Universe 1.0 (MU-1), and a new Joint Venture with Hisun New Materials to commercially supply materials discovered by the platform. This joint venture is a smart, CapEx-light move, shifting some of the manufacturing risk while still monetizing their core AI-driven intellectual property. You're seeing the first signs of this strategy generating revenue, with the company updating its full-year 2025 revenue guidance to a range of $20 million to $25 million.

Leading the Li-Metal Battery Market with High-Performance Cells

The second pillar of the vision is market leadership in Li-Metal, a technology promising significantly higher energy density than traditional lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries. This translates directly to longer driving range for electric vehicles (EVs) and greater payload capacity for Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and drone applications.

The company is actively validating this technology with major automotive OEMs, securing contracts totaling up to $10 million in January 2025 to develop AI-enhanced batteries for EVs. This is a critical risk-mitigation step: partner early to ensure your product meets the brutal, real-world demands of the auto industry. The Q3 2025 revenue of $7.1 million saw a gross margin of 78% from service revenue-the money they make from these OEM development contracts-which shows the immediate value of their R&D expertise.

• Focus on 50Ah and 100Ah large-format Li-Metal cells.
• Global production facilities in Woburn, Shanghai, and Seoul.
• Targeting EV, UAM, and energy storage systems (ESS).

Expanding Sustainable Mobility and Energy Storage

The vision extends beyond just EVs to 'global electric transportation on land and in the air,' plus the rapidly growing energy storage system (ESS) market. Their strategic expansion into ESS is a clear, near-term action to diversify revenue. The acquisition of UZ Energy, completed in Q3 2025, immediately contributed about 45% of their third-quarter revenue, showing how quickly they can execute.

Here's the quick math: Q3 revenue was $7.1 million; UZ Energy contributed roughly $3.2 million of that, which significantly boosted their product revenue stream. This move positions them in the $300 billion global ESS market, a smart hedge against the slower, multi-year EV qualification cycles. This commitment to a sustainable value chain is part of their 'SES AI Cares' framework, which prioritizes reducing carbon emissions and ensuring a traceable supply chain. If you want to dive deeper into who's backing this strategy, you can find more by Exploring SES AI Corporation (SES) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

SES AI Corporation (SES) Core Values

You're looking at SES AI Corporation's core values to see if the internal compass matches the external financial trajectory. That's a smart move, because the company's mission-to accelerate the world's energy transition through material discovery and battery management-is a massive, long-term bet that requires rock-solid cultural principles to sustain. My take is that their core values, though often inferred from their actions, defintely map directly to their commercial strategy and their pursuit of a next-generation Li-Metal battery. You need to see the values in the numbers.

The company is still in a high-burn, pre-commercialization phase for its core electric vehicle (EV) product, but the revenue from its platform strategy is tangible. They've updated their full-year 2025 revenue guidance to a range of $20 million to $25 million, up from earlier projections, which shows the platform is gaining traction. This growth is a direct result of the values in action.

Innovation & Technological Advancement

Innovation isn't a buzzword here; it's a financial engine. This value is centered on pioneering next-generation battery technology, specifically the Li-Metal chemistry, which promises significant advantages in energy density and fast-charging capability over traditional lithium-ion.

The core initiative demonstrating this is the Molecular Universe platform, a superintelligent Artificial Intelligence (AI) system that maps the properties of over $10^{11}$ molecules to discover new battery electrolytes. In November 2025, the latest version, MU-1, was launched, enhancing their R&D-as-a-Service offering. This technology directly drove the debut of the world's first AI-enhanced battery cell for robotics applications at CES 2025 in January. Here's the quick math: while this innovation is costly-SES AI recorded a GAAP net loss of $20.9 million in Q3 2025-it's the necessary investment to capture a slice of the multi-billion-dollar global battery market.

• Launched MU-1, latest AI platform, in November 2025.
• Debuted AI-enhanced cell for robotics at CES 2025.
• Q3 2025 net loss of $20.9 million funds R&D.

Collaboration & Commercialization

The path from a lab breakthrough to a mass-market EV battery requires deep collaboration, which is why this value is crucial for a company like SES AI. They need to work with the major automotive manufacturers (Original Equipment Manufacturers or OEMs) to integrate their technology.

The company's 2025 revenue is primarily driven by contracts with these automotive OEM customers for the development of AI-enhanced battery materials. A major action reinforcing this value was the acquisition of UZ Energy in Q3 2025, an established player that immediately expands SES AI's reach into the Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) space-a market estimated to be 10 times larger than automotive. Also, they formed a Joint Venture with Hisun New Materials to commercially supply the materials discovered by Molecular Universe, effectively turning their R&D output into a commercial product channel. This strategic partnering is what's supporting the overall 2025 revenue target of up to $25 million. If you want to dive deeper into who's backing this strategy, consider Exploring SES AI Corporation (SES) Investor Profile: Who's Buying and Why?

Performance & Safety

In the battery world, performance means high energy density for longer range, fast charging, and, most critically, enhanced safety. SES AI's focus is on delivering superior product metrics to meet the demands of the electric mobility market.

Their commitment is evident in the push to commercialize large-format 50Ah and 100Ah Li-Metal cells from facilities like SES Shanghai Giga and the new facility in Chungju, South Korea. What this estimate hides, though, is the ongoing challenge of scaling Li-Metal safety, a key technical hurdle. Still, the company is showing operational discipline. In Q3 2025, SES AI reported a Gross Margin of 51%, which, while lower than Q1's 79%, is still a strong indicator of value capture from their service and materials sales. This margin suggests they are pricing their AI-enhanced materials and development services effectively, showing that their performance value translates directly into financial health, even as they ramp up production. Finance: draft a risk-adjusted cash flow model for the BESS segment by month-end.