On August 4, 2026, Links Solution (링크솔루션), a South Korean smart manufacturing and 3D printing company, signed a national R&D project agreement to join an international joint research initiative aimed at developing next-generation miniaturized heat pump technology. The project has a total budget of KRW 3.4 billion (approximately USD 2.5 million) and will run from July 2026 to June 2029, with funding from the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP). Participants include Chung-Ang University (lead), Kookmin University, the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), LG Electronics, and Michigan State University. Links Solution will leverage metal 3D printing to manufacture integrated complex microchannel-structured heat pump core components, overcoming the geometric limitations of conventional machining and welding processes to achieve heat pump miniaturization and improved efficiency. Target applications include AI data center cooling, electric vehicle thermal management, and HVAC systems. The company plans to align the project outcomes with its Daejeon AM Foundry mass production platform, which is slated for full operation in 2027. Industry significance: AI data centers and EV thermal management represent the fastest-growing heat dissipation demand segments over the next decade. Metal AM's inherent advantages in fabricating complex flow-channel heat exchangers are increasingly being adopted in system-level thermal management solutions, expanding from aerospace into high-growth civilian sectors such as data centers and automotive. Value for powder buyers: Demand for copper alloy and aluminum alloy powders is emerging in the thermal management sector. Although the Links Solution project is still at the R&D stage, LG Electronics' involvement suggests that consumer electronics and home appliance-grade thermal management AM applications could accelerate commercialization. Watch for incremental demand for copper alloys (GRCop, CuCrZr) and aluminum alloys (AlSi10Mg, CP1) powders in heat pump and heat exchanger applications.