# Pentagon backs 6K battery startup with $250M loan

> The Department of Defense conditionally approves a quarter-billion-dollar loan to help a Massachusetts battery maker build a Tennessee factory using microwave technology to avoid Chinese suppliers.
- Title: Pentagon backs 6K battery startup with $250M loan · TechCrunch
- Summary: The Department of Defense conditionally approves a quarter-billion-dollar loan to help a Massachusetts battery maker build a Tennessee factory using…
- Keywords: pentagon, department of defense, battery manufacturing, tennessee, north andover massachusetts, microwave battery process, domestic manufacturing, chinese suppliers, TechCrunch
- Source: TechCrunch — https://techcrunch.com/2026/11/06/pentagon-offers-battery-startup-6k-250m-loan-to-build-u-s-factory
- Author: Tim De Chant
- Published: 2026-11-06T16:50:01+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: 6k, pentagon, department of defense, battery manufacturing, tennessee, north andover massachusetts, microwave battery process, domestic manufacturing, chinese suppliers, technology, startups
## Pentagon backs battery startup 6K
The Department of Defense conditionally approved a two hundred fifty million dollar loan to North Andover, Massachusetts-based startup 6K to build a factory in Tennessee.
## Microwave process avoids Chinese materials
The factory will use a unique microwave-powered process to produce battery materials that do not rely on Chinese suppliers. The process heats metals into plasma and deposits them onto a surface.
## Earlier grant was canceled by Trump
6K previously received a fifty million dollar grant from the Department of Energy under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2023, but the Trump administration canceled it in a chaotic sweep of Biden-era awards.
## Factory opening delayed by setbacks
The factory was originally slated to open in 2024, but the grant cancellation and uncertainties in the EV market forced the company to rejigger its plans.
## Key takeaway

The Pentagon conditionally approved a two hundred fifty million dollar loan to battery startup 6K to build a Tennessee factory producing battery materials without relying on Chinese suppliers.