The domain of wireless charging space has just become that much more interesting as the two powerhouses, the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and Power Matters Alliance (PMA) come together following the announcement of their prospective merger in January to from a new entity called the AirFuel Alliance.
With this merger, the two firms will collaborate to reach new standards of innovation in the wireless power transfer technology. The alliance is slated to benefit the everyday consumers, mobile network operators, and blue-chip and smartphone manufacturers among others.
The news also marks the end of the Rezence, Powermat and WiTricity, which were part of the A4WP and PMA as they will be discontinued in coming months. All the products of the two firms will now be attached with new brand identity known as AirFuel. Following the merger, the new firm hopes that the brand name will be synonymous with wireless charging.
“The new brand allows for a clear, concise idea of what AirFuel Alliance envisions wireless charging to achieve – a better user experience through the development of shared wireless charging standards available on a global scale wherever consumers may go,” stated the company.
The coming together of the two renowned names in the sector means that the new brand – AirFuel Alliance – includes a total of 195 member companies. Some of the prolific names on the list are AT&T, Broadcom, Duracell, Flextronics, Gill Electronics, Integrated Device Technologies, Intel, MediaTek, ON Semiconductor, Powermat Technologies, Qualcomm, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Semtech, Starbucks and WiTricity.
“AirFuel technology is the next step in fast-tracking the commercialization of wirelessly charged products,” said Ron Resnick, president of AirFuel Alliance. “We embrace a new, inclusive ideal of wireless charging and those member companies within AirFuel Alliance are energized towards bringing wireless power products to consumers globally.”
With this merger the wireless charging space is left with two major players. The biggest competitor for AirFuel will be Wireless Power Consortium supported by the likes of Asus, HTC, Huawei, LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, BlackBerry, and Sony. Currently the wireless charging market is still nascent and growing as experts pit the market to reach $14 billion valuation by 2020.
