Texas Instruments named runner-up in prestigious 2012 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards for energy harvesting chip

Award recognizes TI for advancements in ultra-low power management technology

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Oct 16, 2012, 01:01 ET

DALLAS, Oct. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NASDAQ: TXN) today announced that its bq25504 intelligent energy harvesting and power management solution for ultra-low power applications has been selected in the 2012 Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award as runner-up in the Energy category. The award recognizes TI for its ground-breaking approach to ambient energy extraction.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121016/DA94095)

The bq25504 is the industry's most efficient "boost charger" integrated circuit for nano power energy harvesting applications. The device manages microwatts to milliwatts of power generated from a variety of sources such as solar, thermal electric, electromagnetic and even vibration energy. By increasing the usable harvested energy by 30 to 70 percent over alternative products, it enables battery-free power for wireless sensor networks, monitoring systems and portable electronics.

The availability of sources from which energy harvesters extract power can often be sporadic. Because the bq25504 manages power from its environment, it makes certain constant power is available when needed for critical applications like the monitoring of infrastructure and buildings. These types of sensory networks rely on the bq25504's energy storage to handle any peak currents that cannot directly come from the main power source.

"Imagine a world where you don't have to worry about charging your phone because it constantly charges itself from ambient energy, including body motion, light and temperature differences. From low power to no power, TI is opening the door to new capabilities that were not feasible with traditional battery powered systems," said Ahmad Bahai, chief technology officer of TI's Analog business and director of TI's Kilby Labs. "The bq25504 is just one example of how we're harvesting energy to enable a battery-free world and greener future, and we are honored to be a part of the prestigious Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards program, which recognizes the best of the best in technology."

In its 12th year, the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards celebrate individuals and organizations world-wide that have made substantial technological breakthroughs. This year, the Wall Street Journal received over 536 entries in 18 categories including innovation in energy and power, manufacturing technology, semiconductors/electronics and wireless communications. An independent panel of judges evaluated submissions on three main criteria:

Does the innovation break with conventional ideas or processes in its field?
Does it go beyond marginal improvements on something that already exists?
Will it have a wide impact in its field or on future technology?

More coverage of the 2012 Technology Innovation Awards can be found here.

About innovation at TI
Innovation is the technology thread that runs throughout TI's 80+ year history. Today, TI is driving game-changing technology roadmaps and products in the areas of ultra-low power processing and signal conditioning, energy management, cloud computing, safety and security, medical and more. In collaboration with our customers, industry consortia and universities, TI develops differentiated products that improve how we live, work and play, today and well into the future. Learn more at www.ti.com/innovation.

About Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments semiconductor innovations help 90,000 customers unlock the possibilities of the world as it could be – smarter, safer, greener, healthier and more fun. Our commitment to building a better future is ingrained in everything we do – from the responsible manufacturing of our semiconductors, to caring for our employees, to giving back inside our communities. This is just the beginning of our story. Learn more at http://www.ti.com.

SOURCE Texas Instruments Incorporated