TOKYO (Reuters) -Electronic components manufacturer TDK Corp is accelerating the launch of its next-generation silicon anode batteries, with preparations running ahead of schedule and demand from smartphone makers.
Apple-supplier TDK was due to start shipping the third generation of its batteries this summer but will begin "very soon," CEO Noboru Saito told Reuters.
Silicon anode batteries offer higher energy density than conventional batteries although they remain a small part of the business at TDK, the leading producer of smartphone batteries.
The company aims to introduce its fourth-generation battery "sometime next year," Saito said.
TDK said last month more than half its capital expenditure over the next three years would be on its energy segment, which includes batteries.
The company, founded in 1935, was once well known for its cassette tapes but is now a major manufacturer of batteries, sensors and capacitors.
Its annual forecast, announced last month, included both a base and a risk scenario as U.S. President Donald Trump's trade war creates heightened uncertainty.
The biggest impact could be on the U.S. market, affecting demand for smartphones and other electronics, said Saito, who has been CEO since 2022.
"I remain concerned," Saito said.
(Reporting by Sam Nussey and Ritsuko Shimizu; Editing by Rachna Uppal)
