TDK develops materials for solid-state batteries with “100 times the energy density”. The original university-based venture and the portfolio reform power of a 2 trillion yen company

TDK, a well-known manufacturer of electronic components, announced on June 17 that it has developed materials for “solid-state batteries” that have 100 times the energy density of conventional products.

Solid-state batteries are attracting attention as a material that automakers such as Toyota and Nissan are focusing on developing, due to their potential as an alternative to lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs). As the name suggests, they are made entirely of solid matter, making them less flammable and highly safe, and there are high expectations for their large capacity.

Demand for solid-state batteries goes beyond EVs

According to TDK, there is also demand for solid-state batteries in small batteries used in IoT devices and wearable devices. Yano Research Institute estimates that the global market size for small solid-state lithium-ion batteries and thin batteries will be 98.8 billion yen by 2030.

In fact, in 2017 TDK announced “CeraCharge,” the world’s first small, rechargeable solid-state battery.

Although the TDK representative said that they could not disclose specific sales figures, their characteristics of being highly heat resistant and able to function stably even at high temperatures have led to the device being used in applications that were previously unthinkable, such as cooking thermometers.

The material developed by TDK this time is the next generation material. It achieves an energy density of 1000Wh/L, about 100 times that of conventional materials. A TDK representative said, “There has always been a demand for batteries with higher energy density, and we have continued to develop them.”

As the material is still in the development stage, in order to commercialize it, development will be required to incorporate it into devices, such as multi-layering, packaging, and expanding the operating temperature range.

“We will continue to work hard to develop products that can replace existing coin batteries, as well as for use in various wearable devices such as wireless earphones, hearing aids, and smartwatches,” said a representative.

The company aims to start shipping samples as early as 2025.

The original deep tech company. Now a global company with sales of 2 trillion yen

TDK was originally founded in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, an electronic material that was being researched at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. It was originally a university-based R&D (deep tech) venture. Currently,Sales exceed 2 trillion yen, with more than 100,000 employees worldwideIt’s a global company.

When one thinks of TDK, the magnetic tape business, which was developed in the 1960s to record cassette tapes and video tapes, comes to mind. Even now, many people would associate TDK with “magnetic tape” (the company withdrew from the magnetic tape business at the end of March 2014). After that, from the 1990s onwards, the company expanded its business to include magnetic heads used in computer hard disk drives. In recent years, sales of electronic devices installed in EVs and the small battery business, which has been growing since around 2010, have become major pillars of revenue. The company has grown repeatedly by gradually changing its business portfolio while combining new technologies with existing technologies.

The new solid-state battery material announced this time is also “future-oriented, with a view to expanding applications, improving safety, and contributing to the miniaturization and long-term operation of devices” (TDK public relations). The solid-state battery being developed by TDK is a ceramic-based material. It is said to be suitable for small batteries, and there are currently no plans to apply it to large batteries such as EVs.