Intel, Qualcomm, and others form Ambient IoT Alliance to drive battery free IoT innovation

A coalition of technology and consumer goods companies, including Intel, Qualcomm, Infineon Technologies, PepsiCo, Wiliot, Atmosic, and VusionGroup has formed the Ambient IoT Alliance (AIoTA) to advance and scale the future of ambient IoT technology.

The newly established Ambient IoT Alliance aims to create a global ecosystem for battery-free IoT solutions by leveraging ambient energy sources such as radio waves, light, motion, and heat. The ultimate goal is to standardize and promote low-cost, scalable, and energy-efficient IoT solutions that can seamlessly integrate with existing wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G Advanced.

The alliance was officially announced on February 19, 2025, with founding members coming together to outline strategies for fostering industry-wide adoption of ambient IoT technologies.

This alliance is a global initiative, with founding members based in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Its reach extends across multiple industries, including supply chain management, retail, healthcare, and smart infrastructure.

Ambient IoT works by integrating battery-free IoT tags and sensors into wireless networks. These devices can detect and transmit real-time data, including location, temperature, humidity, and environmental conditions, without the need for external power sources. Smartphones, Wi-Fi routers, and other wireless access points can then collect and process this data, enabling large-scale deployment in industries such as supply chain management, retail operations, and healthcare services.

The motivation behind the formation of the Ambient IoT Alliance is to embark on a new era of IoT that eliminates battery dependency and enhances sustainability. Traditional IoT devices rely on batteries or wired power sources, limiting their scalability and long-term viability. Ambient IoT enables devices to continuously operate using harvested energy, making them more cost-efficient, environmentally friendly, and easier to deploy at scale.

Supporting the intiative Atmosic CEO David Su said,  “ambient IoT is the key to sustainable IoT adoption”, as it allows wireless tracking solutions to use minimal or no power while remaining always connected. Infineon’s Kamesh Medapalli highlighted the technology’s role in driving digitalization and decarbonization, emphasizing that it will help connect billions of IoT devices securely while reducing environmental impact.

The AIoTA aims to develop industry standards, best practices, and interoperability guidelines to ensure that ambient IoT solutions can seamlessly integrate with existing network infrastructure. The alliance is collaborating with major standards organizations such as IEEE (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth SIG, and 3GPP (5G Advanced) to define new IoT communication standards.

With ambient IoT poised to transform industries, businesses stand to benefit significantly from its cost-effective deployment and AI-driven data insights. The vast amounts of data generated by ambient IoT devices will also play a crucial role in enhancing AI capabilities, optimizing supply chains, and creating smarter, more efficient systems.