Innovation abounds in device charging | MIT Technology Review

SponsoredIn partnership withAnker The changes may be less perceptible than in smartphones, tablets, or wearables, but chargers have also been quietly reinvented over the last decade. At one time a bulky mix of tangled cables and connectors, slow to perform and prone to overheating, they’re now smaller, safer, and faster, thanks to a slew of technological advances. These advances include a switch to gallium nitride (GaN), which has now usurped silicon as the preferred semiconductor, capable of handling higher voltages, faster switches, and more efficient conduction. Multi-port chargers, coupled with an industry-wide shift toward USB-C standardization, mean a single charger can handle multiple devices. And early smart chargers are also trickling onto the market, able to dynamically distribute power and carry out autonomous safety checks. Combined, these have repositioned chargers as differentiated standalone devices, rather than peripheral accessories. But, manufacturers say there is much further to go if chargers are to accommodate the demands of a connected ecosystem now made up of an estimated 20 billion devices, according to IoT Analytics. “Charging products are undergoing a fundamental identity shift—from accessory to primary component,” says Mario Wu, general manager for North America at Anker Innovations. “This is not simply a functional upgrade; It is a repositioning of charging's role within the broader digital lifestyle ecosystem. As charging becomes normalized, th...