As chip giant Intel continues to slash away at some of its less successful efforts, the company has decided to end its wireless charging work.
The effort to create a way to charge laptops with power beamed through the air instead over a power cord has been ongoing for years but with little to show for the investments. Last year, Intel demonstrated a limited, desk-bound system that sent power over a few inches of distance, promising it would hit the market this year but currently there is no sign it will be available for sale.
Last week, four Intel (INTC) executives resigned from positions with the AirFuel Alliance, one of several industry initiatives pushing wireless charging standards, Forbes reported on Monday. The former Intel members cited their company’s realigning of strategic priorities in emails to the alliance, according to Forbes.
Intel said it would continue to work with laptop makers to “validate” their wireless charging solutions and work closely with WiTriCity, a charging startup backed by the company’s venture capital unit. “We will also support the ecosystem through continued participation in the AirFuel Alliance, but effective immediately, we will no longer pursue our own wireless charging development,” a spokeswoman said.
The demise of the wireless charging effort comes after Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced a massive overhaul of the company, along with 12,000 employee layoffs, in April. New president Murthy Renduchintala, an outsider hired from Qualcomm (QCOM) to shake things up, was conducting a review of Intel’s entire line of products, Krzanich revealed, adding that he expected to slash at least “a few” lines after hearing Renduchintala’s report.
As PC sales continue to shrink at an accelerating rate, Krzanich has been shifting resources to focus on faster growing areas, such as chips for data centers and “smart” devices.
Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.
Last month came news that Intel was ending production of some of its low-end mobile chip sets aimed at smartphones.
As Intel slims down on PC-related businesses, CEO Krzanich may go after some of his competitors. The CEO told Fortune last week that while he has no “shopping list,” he feels Intel is capable of making big acquisitions.
