Global Wireless Charging – Full Speed Ahead
Paul Wiener addresses the Airfuel Members Meeting
In September, I visited different corners of the globe, participating in wireless power conferences and customer discussions. My first stop was to the ITRI Wireless Power Workshop in Taiwan, where industry experts such as the analyst firm IHSMarkit reviewed the growth in wireless power and the predicted enormous expectation for future growth. Additionally, I attended numerous talks dedicated to the technical advantages of high frequency wireless power systems. What I found most interesting was seeing panel speakers showcasing real systems – how they worked and the advantages of implementing wireless power transfer.
My journey continued to Europe to attend the AirFuel Alliance Members’ meeting. GaN Systems has been a member of the Alliance for three years, participating on the Magnetic Resonant Working Committee (MRWC) and the Marketing Advisory Panel (MAP). At the Member’s meeting – which is which is always a great learning and social event – this year the Alliance invited non-members to attend and share their interests in wireless power. It was great to see how high frequency wireless power transfer is being implemented in so many different ways and applications from hearing aids to electric vehicles.
A few highlights of the AirFuel Alliance meeting focused on:
- Market unit forecast
- All devices: 2.4B Tx, 4.8B Rx in 2023
- Non-mobile: 1.2B Tx, 1.3B Rx in 2023
- AirFuel Alliance membership continues to grow – 2019 is fastest rate ever
- International standards groups and OEM actions confirm high frequency is the optimal solution for efficient wireless power transfer
The GaN Systems demo table
At the meeting, I had an opportunity to present GaN Systems’ World Without Wires presentation. Reaction to the idea of a global universe – from electric transportation to autonomous factory robots to aerial delivery drones and smart electronic devices – free from the constraints of a wired physical connection was outstanding, with session participants in agreement that the need for tethering has not evolved since the invention of electricity.
It’s an exciting time to be entering a new era of wireless charging – and to see the realities of ‘a world without wires’ unfolding before us.
By Paul Wiener, VP of Strategic Marketing for GaN Systems
