The Apple Watch SE was spotted in a store in Krakow, Poland on April 20, 2024.
Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images
Japanese electronics manufacturer TDK said Monday it has successfully developed materials for solid-state batteries, a breakthrough technology that the company believes will significantly improve the performance of wearable devices.
Tokyo-based Apple supplier Said The energy density of the company’s material for small solid-state batteries is estimated to be 1,000 watt-hours per liter (Wh/l), approximately 100 times the energy density of TDK’s conventional mass-produced solid-state batteries.
Energy density refers to the amount of energy stored in an area of space.
Solid-state batteries are seen as a potential game-changing technology because they can store more energy and charge faster than lithium-ion batteries.
TDK said the innovation can be used in a variety of devices that come into direct contact with the human body, such as wireless earphones, hearing aids and smartwatches.
The battery will be made of all-ceramic materials with an oxide-based solid electrolyte and a lithium alloy anode.
TDK Corporation’s logo displayed on an industrial standard battery unit at the CEATEC, the world’s largest advanced technology exhibition, held in Chiba Prefecture on Tuesday, October 17, 2023.
Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty Images
TDK said its goal is to comply with European Union battery regulations and have its technology replace existing coin-cell batteries, the tiny stainless steel discs that power portable devices.
One of the key features of TDK’s technology is the use of oxide-based solid electrolytes, which the company says are “extremely safe.”
TDK says the battery’s small size and large capacitance, or ability to store electricity, could contribute to the miniaturization of devices and extend their operating times.
—CNBC’s Ganesh Rao contributed to this report.