IFA International 2019 Week-End Edition

Keita Nishiyama
Director-General of the Commerce and Information Policy Bureau
at Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
PAVING THE WAY
FOR ‘SOCIETY 5.0’
Japan, Global Innovation Partner of IFA NEXT
takes to the Red Innovation Engine Stage
at 3pm today, for a special session on the
evolution of human-machine interfaces.
Keita Nishiyama, Director-
General of the Commerce
and Information Policy
Bureau at Japan’s Ministry
of Economy, Trade and
Industry (METI) will be
having what is set to be an
enthralling discussion with
IFA Executive Director Jens
Heithecker here in Berlin
today.
Messe Berlin CEO
Dr Christian Göke is
enthusiastic about the
Japanese partnership
with IFA NEXT: “Japan is a
country that was the main
driver to create the world
of consumer electronics as
we know it today,” he says.
“And that – once again – has
become an incredible hub for
industry research, thought
leadership and start-up
innovation. We partnered
with Japan because we want
to give our visitors a deep
dive into a highly innovative
industry hub, including
entrepreneurs and visionary
speakers and a start-up
world like never before.”
Nishiyama addressed the
media at the IFA Global
Press Conference in April
on the key issues at stake
heading into the future,
in particular when it came
to new data governance
models. With more than 2.5
quintillion bytes of digital
information circulating each
day, Mr Nishiyama called for
the establishment of DFFT –
or Data Free Flow with Trust
– for non-personal data. He
said that while personal data
and intellectual property
need to remain under
careful protection, on the
other hand, the free flow of
medical, industrial, traffic
and other highly useful
non-personal data must be
allowed to flow freely across
borders. The result will, he
says, be Society 5.0
NEW HUMAN-
MACHINE
INTERFACES WITH
CONSIDERATION
AND SENSIBILITY
Date: Saturday 7
September 2019
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Location: Hall 26 / Red
Innovation Engine
WIRELESS CHARGING POISED
FOR SIGNIFICANT GROWTH
Mobile sector paving the way for adoption,
says IHS Markit
20
Dinesh Kithany
Senior Principal Analyst, IHS Markit
Unit shipments for wireless
power receivers and
transmitters will grow
from less than 500m
units to more than 3bn by
2023, according to Dinesh
Kithany, Senior Principal
Analyst at IHS Markit.
Speaking to IFA International
ahead of his session at IFA Next
Innovation Engine (see details
below), Kithany said mobile
phones are the primary driver for
growth. However, with wireless
power achieving mainstream
adoption in mobile, he said growth
was expected to follow in other
consumer applications. “Electric
toothbrushes will boost the small
appliances while smart watches
dominate the wearable category,”
he explained.
Kithany said the primary benefit
of wireless charging in consumer
applications is convenience.
However he takes the view that
“the wireless power ecosystem
is potentially a stronger valueproposition
than the individual
wireless charger. This includes
wireless charging in public spaces
such as railway stations, airports,
coffee shops etc.”
Alongside convenience, Kithany
will tell IFA Next delegates
that additional benefits of
wireless charging include “the
environmental and economic
benefit of wirelessly powering
small battery-powered devices”.
Wireless charging also lends itself
to safety, reliability and sealed-in
device design: “Removing charge
ports allows a device shell to be
enclosed, enabling waterproof and
dust-resistant designs. In medical
applications, it could greatly
reduce the intrusiveness of certain
devices into the body.”
Key threats to the rollout of
wireless charging include forwardlooking
wired-power solutions
such as fast charging and USB-
Type C. However, IHS Markit
consumer survey data shows that
fast-charging does not necessarily
replace the need for wireless
charging.
Kithany also discussed the issue of
technical standards in the wireless
charging. “Apple’s decision to
integrate Qi technology into its
2017 iPhone release indicated
an end to the standards war
and accelerated the adoption
of wireless charging in more
consumer devices,” he said
WIRELESS POWER
TECHNOLOGY
EXTENDS FOCUS
TOWARDS MEDIUM
AND HIGH POWER
DEVICES
Date: Sunday 8 September 2019
Time: 12:20 pm
Location: Hall 26 / Red
Innovation Engine