Intel: Hundreds of thousands of wireless recharge stations to be deployed

Earlier this year Intel Corp. announced that reference designs of mobile systems based on its next-generation code-named “Skylake” microprocessors will features Rezence wireless charging technology as well as WiGig ultra-fast wireless interconnection technology. Apparently, the company plans to ensure that not only mobile gadgets feature the new tech, but there is infrastructure to take advantage of the innovations.

After Intel Corp. unveiled its Centrino mobile platform back in 2003, it not only offered PC makers a set of compatible chips and a Wi-Fi solution for notebooks, but it invested in creation of Wi-Fi hotspot infrastructure around the world. The company ensured that Centrino laptops were compatible with wireless hotspots in hotels, restaurants, airports, train stations and other public places. As a result, Wi-Fi became ubiquitous, whereas Centrino became a de-facto standard for business laptops for many years. It looks like something similar is going to happen with Rezence wireless charging standard.

Kirk Skaugen, senior vice president and general manager of the PC client group for Intel, said that the company will also make its best to ensure that there are wireless recharge stations installed in many places by the time products based on the “Skylake” chips emerge on the market.

“We are looking at what options we have there [with Rezence],” said Mr. Skaugen at IDF last week. “In any case we have got a great momentum. We are aligned with Samsung, we are aligned with our competitor Qualcomm. We now have got every major PC maker signed up for the [A4WP group’s Rezence] standard. The question is how much we want to put behind building out the infrastructure. There is nothing to announce today, but what I can tell you is that I think there are going to be hundreds and hundreds of thousands of recharge stations everywhere.”

Intel demonstrates wireless charging capabilities of a laptop. Image by Cnet News.com

While Intel did not confirm plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in wireless charging infrastructure, it is clear that once such infrastructure is in place, people will be more inclined to upgrade to PCs that support the wireless charging technology. Therefore, it is clearly in Intel’s interests to put Rezence into as many places as possible.

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KitGuru Says: What is unclear is how public places will monetize wireless charging. With Wi-Fi everything is pretty simple, but in case of charging, it will be needed to somehow ask people to pay for putting their gadgets on certain places. It does not sound convenient, does it?

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