Intel and London-based Chargifi are trying to make wireless charging available to the masses. The technology has been in the news for the past six years, but so far not much progress has been made.
Intel making efforts for a wireless world
Intel has a vision of a world without wires, and wireless charging is an important part of it. The chip maker wishes to accelerate the deployment of wireless charging, for which it has made several big moves this week, says a report from Venture Beat. The finalization of the merger of two wireless charging industry groups that resulted in a super-group called The AirFuel Alliance is one such effort from the chip maker, the report says.
According to critics, competing standards have slowed the adoption rate of wireless charging. Intel has put in a lot of work this year to expand the adoption of the AirFuel standard. Intel will include these standards in its chips, which will be used in a wide range of products coming later this year. Apart from these, Intel also made an investment of $2.7 million in Chargifi, a part of its $22 million investment in 11 companies, the announcement of which was made at the Intel Capital Global Summit.
Will Chargifi support Intel’s vision?
Dan Bladen, Chargifi’s founder, was globetrotting with his wife in 2012, and this is when they got the idea for Chargifi. During their journey, they realized that they wasted a lot of time hunting for places where they could plug in and re-charge their gadgets. Presently, Chargifi has nine employees and ten partners who are distributing the service on three continents.
Chargifi, which started two years ago, helps retail businesses in the installation of robust wireless charging services with the use of magnetic resonance. It helps in charging at great distances. Chargifi also creates enterprise software for the managing and monetization of the service. Customers can find Chargifi spots with the help of the mobile app from the company. For getting their products charged, the customers are required to walk into these businesses and set their gadgets on the table, after which they start charging.
Intel has been pushing for this vision for some time now, and it appears that Chargifi is in the appropriate position to accelerate it.
