Taiwanese microcontroller and semiconductor companies including Generalplus Technology Inc (凌通) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) have begun efforts to capture the nascent market for wireless charging, a feature that is becoming increasingly common with wearable devices.
Research institute IHS said that the market for mobile device wireless charging was expected to surge from US$15 million last year to US$480 million by the end of this year, and grow in excess of US$1 billion by 2019.
After the early success of a few pioneers in the niche market, the growing popularity of wearable devices will be marked by the forthcoming release of the Apple Watch on April 24.
Although the high-profile smartwatch from the US technology giant will come equipped with Apple’s proprietary wireless charging solution, industry observers say the feature is expected to see rapid growth as it becomes more mainstream.
Samsung, the world’s second-largest smartphone maker as of the fourth quarter of last year, recently unveiled its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge flagships, both of which are designed to be compatible with the two major wireless charging platforms, while Huawei Technologies Co (華為), one of the top Chinese mobile device makers, also unveiled a smartwatch product geared for the high-end market.
In addition, IKEA has announced that it would release a series of wireless charging-equipped furniture, with Starbucks Coffee Co pledging to provide wireless charging at more of its branches.
MediaTek announced that its MT3188 chipset recently passed compatibility certification for the BSS 1.2 standard set by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP), the Qi standard established by Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) and the receiver specification 1.0 standard of Power Matters Alliance’s (PMA), and is set to begin mass production.
Aside from MediaTek, power management chipmakers Richtek (立錡) and ENE Technology Inc (迅杰) have also adopted a diversified approach to wireless charging networks by joining both the WPC and A4WP alliances.
Meanwhile, Anpec Electronics Co (茂達) announced that its wireless charging products, based on the WPC standard for tablets and smartphones, is expected to be ready for the market no later than the third quarter of this year.
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