In a recent investor communication, DK Electronic Materials (DKEM) said its high-copper metallization paste had met a gigawatt-scale production target at an unnamed “strategic customer,” with the customer now moving to deploy the material across a larger production capacity.
DKEM’s disclosure comes as PV manufacturers and their supply chains seek to reduce exposure to silver, a major cost component in cell metallization. In a separate report published by pv magazine, spot silver was described as reaching a record record $94.73/oz on Jan. 19, highlighting cost pressures facing downstream manufacturers.
The company has positioned its high-copper metallization approach as a method to reduce silver consumption while maintaining compatibility with bankable production specifications. In technical and investor materials, DKEM has described a solution combining its DK62T high-copper paste with a DK95S seed-layer silver paste, designed to manage material interfaces and mitigate copper diffusion risks while remaining compatible with mainstream n-type cell manufacturing.
DKEM has gradually scaled the product from customer validation to volume supply. In October 2025, the company told investors that cooperation with major downstream customers was progressing and that its high-copper paste had entered volume production, with full gigawatt-scale manufacturing lines expected to be operational in the fourth quarter. It also said advances had been made in seed-layer formulation and paste design, and that the solution was compatible with TOPCon 3.0 high-efficiency cell processes.
While DKEM did not identify the strategic customer, the latest disclosure indicates at least one manufacturer has moved beyond pilot use to production at gigawatt scale. The company added that other customers remain in evaluation and testing phases.
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