In late December 2024 Patently Apple posted a report titled “Chinese Smartphone OEMs plan to increase battery capacity in 2025 by using a new high silicon material which Apple is eyeing for 2026.” Then on May 6th we posted another report titled “Next-Gen batteries for smartphones will be led by Chinese OEM’s like realme who just revealed their 60-patent backed 10,000mAh battery.” The report pointed to batteries with high silicon material.

Today we’re learning that Apple iPhone supplier TDK Corp. is preparing a new generation of batteries to power smartphones through AI tasks at a time that major client Apple Inc. is also preparing to launch a slimmer handset.

The Tokyo-based component maker will begin shipping its third iteration of silicon-anode batteries by the end of June, Chief Executive Officer Noboru Saito said. That’s ahead of TDK’s original schedule for shipments in the September quarter and may give smartphone makers enough time to use these cells in thinner models launching this year, he said.

“We’ve made good progress, and we’re shipping them very soon,” he said in an interview. “Some handset makers might be able to use the new battery in their product one generation early.”

TDK’s battery technology is helping the world’s biggest smartphone makers slim down their gadgets without shortening battery run times. Its latest lithium-ion batteries use silicon for anodes instead of the graphite commonly used and can pack 15% more energy into the same space compared with conventional rechargeable battery packs.

Silicon-anode battery technology can be applied to a range of cell sizes for use in a variety of products, from gadgets to electric vehicles. TDK’s battery subsidiary Amperex Technology Ltd. is the leading manufacturer of smaller silicon batteries used in smartphones and holds a “very large share,” according to Saito.

Lastly, TDK stated that “We plan to introduce fourth-generation silicon batteries some time in the next fiscal year to widen our lead even further. For more, read the full Bloomberg report.