Mr. Bernard Tourillon reports

NOVACIUM AND TOKAI COBEX COLLABORATE TO EVALUATE AN INTEGRATED AND SOVEREIGN EUROPEAN ANODE MATERIAL SOLUTION FOR LITHIUM-ION BATTERIES

HPQ Silicon Inc.'s strategic partner, Novacium SAS, a French deep-tech company specializing in materials for energy applications, has launched exploratory work with Tokai Cobex Savoie, the French entity of Tokai Cobex, itself a subsidiary of the Japanese Tokai Carbon Group and a recognized player in carbon and graphite products. The research and development teams of both companies will evaluate the compatibility and performance of their respective materials to develop an integrated anode material solution designed and potentially produced in France.

Novacium brings its expertise in silicon-based anode materials developed to increase the energy capacity of lithium-ion cells. Tokai Cobex brings battery-grade synthetic graphite with a stated purity of 99.99 per cent, produced in France using a very low carbon process. The combination could bring together, within a single composite anode material, the high specific capacity of silicon with the stability and conductivity of graphite.

An ambition for industrial sovereignty

Graphite remains the dominant material used in lithium-ion anodes, but its theoretical specific capacity of approximately 372 milliampere-hours per gram limits achievable energy gains. Silicon changes the scale: Its theoretical capacity reaches approximately 4,200 mAh/g, more than 10 times that of graphite, making it a major lever for significantly increasing cell energy density.

Silicon, however, presents a significant challenge: Its volume can increase by more than 300 per cent during lithiation. Controlling this expansion requires advanced material engineering. The published and validated performance of Novacium's Gen3 and Gen4 anode materials shows that the company has developed a commercially relevant solution to address this challenge.

The joint evaluation therefore aims to determine whether the two technology components can form a complete, high performance, durable and low carbon anode solution capable of helping reduce Europe's dependence on external materials and supply chains.

The proximity of the teams, with Novacium in Solaize and Tokai Cobex's research and development centre in Venissieux, should facilitate exchanges, shorten testing cycles and accelerate technical iterations. If the results are conclusive, this work could represent a step toward a more integrated, resilient and sovereign French supply chain for high-capacity lithium-ion-battery anode materials.

A structured exploratory initiative

At this stage, the collaboration relates exclusively to exploratory technical work, and is not subject to any contract or binding commitment between the parties. No assurance can be given regarding the conclusion of any subsequent agreement, the industrialization of the solution or its commercialization.

"The objective is to verify that our silicon-based anode material can be effectively combined with French battery-grade synthetic graphite. Bringing these two complementary building blocks together in France would pave the way for a sovereign anode solution that is higher performing, lower carbon and more effectively controlled from an industrial standpoint," said Dr. Jed Kraiem, PhD, chief operating officer of Novacium.

"This collaboration illustrates Novacium's strategic positioning. As graphite-based anode materials approach their theoretical capacity limits, integrating silicon-based materials represents one of the most promising avenues for enabling graphite manufacturers to offer higher performance anode materials. This initiative aims to transform Novacium's expertise in silicon-based materials into practical solutions for demanding applications, in collaboration with leading industrial partners. It also reinforces the strategic value of HPQ's 36.8-per-cent equity interest in Novacium," said Bernard Tourillon, president and chief executive officer of HPQ Silicon.

"We have developed, in France, a battery-grade synthetic graphite with strong durability performance and a very low carbon footprint. Combining it with a high-capacity silicon-based anode material is a natural extension of our approach, which is focused on continuously improving performance while maintaining our environmental requirements. The proximity of our R&D teams to Novacium's will allow us to concretely evaluate the compatibility of our materials and the potential for an integrated, ultrahigh performance anode solution that addresses European sovereignty challenges," said Benedicte Allard, research and development director, Tokai Cobex.

"Our industrial sites have nearly 130 years of history, and, drawing on that experience, we made the strategic choice several years ago to expand into battery graphite to address Europe's societal and environmental challenges. Through the complementarity of our materials, our collaboration with Novacium helps strengthen the industrial position of Europe and France in particular," said Vincent Vitart, managing director, Tokai Cobex Savoie.

About HPQ Silicon Inc.

HPQ Silicon is a Quebec-based industrial issuer listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, focused on innovation in advanced materials and developing critical processes.

HPQ holds a strategic 36.8-per-cent equity interest in Novacium, its research, development and commercialization partner. Together, HPQ and Novacium are developing next-generation silicon-based anode materials (Gen3 and Gen4) for batteries, pursuing commercialization of Endura+ lithium-ion cells, and developing innovative technologies for clean hydrogen production and energy recovery from waste materials. HPQ holds the exclusive rights to commercialize these technologies in North America.

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