Researchers from Eta Devices at MIT have developed a power-conserving chip believed to increase battery life in smartphones. The technology will allow batteries to last twice as long and work to conserve energy in cell towers.
Batteries drain so quickly because power amplifiers typically stay at maximum voltage at all times, even when devices are not being used. The new chip MIT researchers developed is designed to switch gears and adjust voltage supply – which will cut the battery drain significantly. The result will be less waste energy, less wasted money and a longer life for batteries.
“You can look at our technology as a high-speed gearbox that, every few nanoseconds, modulates the amount of power that the power amplifier draws from the battery. That turns out to be the key to keeping the efficiency very high,” Joel Dawson, Eta Devices’ chief technology officer, said.
Researchers believe this technology will save over 100 million dollars in yearly electricity costs. Eta Devices expect smartphones to incorporate its chips by the end of 2015.
“Besides battery life, there are many ways the telecommunications industry can take advantage of improved efficiency. Eta Devices’ approach could lead to smaller handset batteries, for example, and even smaller handsets, since there would be less dissipating heat. The technology could also drive down operating costs for base stations in the developing world, where these stations rely on expensive diesel fuel for power. And ultimately, it could impact the environment: If all midsized carrier networks were to replace current radio amplifiers with Eta Devices’ technology, the reduction in greenhouse gases would be equivalent to taking about 5 million cars off the road. There are so many ways to leverage high efficiency if you have it,” Dawson added.
