WIRELESS POWER: THE NEXT DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMING BUSINESS

For more than a century, electricity has depended on one essential element: the cable. From the first industrial machines to today's AI-powered data centers, every technological breakthrough has relied on a physical connection to receive power.

Yet while almost every aspect of technology has become wireless -from internet connectivity to payments and communications- electricity has remained tied to plugs, chargers, and batteries. As connected devices multiply, cables are becoming one of the biggest barriers to innovation.

For businesses, dependence on power outlets and rechargeable batteries increases maintenance costs, limits product design, and restricts scalability. That is why wireless power is emerging as one of the next major technology trends, with the potential to reshape industries in much the same way that wireless internet transformed communication.

Wireless power, or wireless energy transmission, transfers electricity through electromagnetic waves instead of physical cables. A transmitter connected to the electrical grid converts electricity into radio-frequency signals, while a receiver integrated into a compatible device captures those signals and converts them back into usable power.

Although the technology is still evolving, it is already suitable for powering low-consumption devices such as sensors, wearables, keyboards, headphones, and medical monitoring equipment.

One of its most promising applications is energy harvesting. These systems capture small amounts of energy already present in the environment -from Wi-Fi, mobile networks, television, and radio signals- and convert them into electricity. This capability could become the missing piece for the widespread adoption of ambient computing and the Internet of Things (IoT), where billions of connected devices need to remain powered continuously.

As Andre Penha, Chairman of Antiwire, explained during South Summit Madrid 2026: "If it's a real problem, I believe in real problems. If we have a real problem and we have a solution, it becomes a question of when, not if".

Wireless power is unlikely to eliminate batteries altogether, but it could dramatically reduce their size. Devices that receive continuous background charging no longer need large batteries designed to operate for long periods without access to power.

For manufacturers, this creates several advantages: lighter products, lower production costs, reduced dependence on raw materials such as lithium and cobalt, and greater freedom in product design.

The commercial opportunity also extends beyond hardware. Companies developing wireless power technologies are increasingly focusing on licensing their intellectual property, following a model similar to companies such as Qualcomm, whose communication technologies became global industry standards.

According to Penha: "I believe that in 10 years we'll have wireless energy everywhere. The question isn't whether it will happen, but who will set the pace".

Wireless power has the potential to improve operational efficiency across multiple industries, particularly in manufacturing and IoT.

During South Summit Madrid 2026, experts highlighted how battery replacement remains one of the largest maintenance costs for industrial sensors. Monitoring equipment that measures vibration, temperature, or machine performance often requires thousands of batteries to be replaced throughout a factory.

Wireless-powered sensors can operate continuously without manual intervention, reducing maintenance costs, avoiding production downtime, and improving predictive maintenance strategies.

For companies developing commercial hardware, wireless energy also represents a powerful competitive advantage. Products that require little or no charging offer a stronger customer experience and can be positioned as premium solutions in increasingly competitive markets.

Despite its potential, wireless power is not designed to replace every cable. Current radio-frequency systems deliver relatively low levels of power, making them suitable for sensors, wearables, peripherals, and other low-energy devices rather than servers, industrial machinery, or household appliances.

Safety is another key consideration. These systems operate within internationally regulated radio-frequency bands and must comply with strict standards for non-ionising radiation, similar to existing Wi-Fi networks.

For most organisations, adoption will be gradual. Instead of replacing existing electrical infrastructure, businesses are likely to implement hybrid systems where wireless energy complements traditional power sources, extending device lifespans while reducing dependence on batteries.

Every major technological shift removes a previous limitation. The internet eliminated geographical barriers, cloud computing reduced dependence on local infrastructure, and artificial intelligence is transforming how organisations process information.

Wireless power could become the next foundational technology by removing one of the last physical constraints in modern electronics: the cable.

As connected devices become more common across industries, companies that understand and adopt wireless energy early may gain a significant competitive advantage through more efficient operations, innovative products, and lower long-term maintenance costs.

●      South Summit Madrid 2026, session The Foundation of the Tech Shift — Arena Stage, talk by Andre Penha (Antiwire).

●      IEEE Xplore Digital Library. Wireless Power Transfer via Radio Frequency: Infrastructure and Safety Standards in Industrial IoT.

●      Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL) / McKinsey & Company. The Economics of Intellectual Property Licensing in Emerging Hardware Standards.