Forget bulky devices and drained batteries. According to a report in Bloomberg, the world's largest smartphone battery maker TDK Corp is seeing surging inquiries in Asia into a new lineup of smartphone batteries that it hopes will become a game-changer. In the first half of 2023, the company began shipping small-size
lithium-ion batteries
using silicon electrodes, manufactured by Hong Kong-based subsidiary Amperex Technology Ltd (ATL).
This game-changer technology is reported to promise 10% more power in sleek, slim devices, shaking up the saturated smartphone market.
Noboru Saito
, company's 52-year-old CEO said in an interview to the publication, “We need to assume that other companies will come into this space, and we need to develop the next, followed by the next, technology to differentiate ourselves and keep our lead from shrinking.” “There’s room for the technology to evolve further,” he added.
TDK is the first to apply this tech to smartphones, while rivals focus on electric vehicles. This innovative battery boasts a 10% capacity boost over conventional ones, with studies hinting at a potential 40% increase in the future. It's not just smartphones that benefit – expect longer battery life in wearables, gaming gadgets, and AI-powered devices, all while shrinking their size. TDK now is the sole mass-producer of silicon-carbon batteries for smartphone use.
Tough competition
Incidentally, this innovation isn't just about bragging rights. TDK faces a cutthroat market where it controls over a third of the smartphone battery share. CEO Saito acknowledges the pressure, "We need to constantly innovate and differentiate ourselves to maintain our lead." With rivals like Samsung and LG taking different approaches, TDK's silicon play is a bold move to secure its future.
For TDK, these high-end batteries offer a path to sustainable growth. The battery segment, dominated by smartphone makers, accounts for over half of TDK's annual revenue. However, recent flat growth triggered concerns about slowing profits. Saito's optimistic: "In a few years, these new products will make up a double-digit percentage of our smartphone battery sales, up from the current 5%."
TDK's ambitions extend beyond the immediate. Saito, as per the report, sees batteries as a "sustainable and big pillar" even in the age of AI, where energy demands will only grow. He pledges, "It's our mission to meet these needs through new and evolving technology."
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