LIVE FROM CES ASIA, SHANGHAI: Intel is on a mission to reduce the clutter and inconvenience of the multitude of wires currently required for computing and is first pushing to eliminate wired charging. Its next target is passwords.

The average person carries six cables, said Kirk Skaugen (pictured), Intel’s senior VP and GM of client computing. The visitors at CES Asia today have an estimated 1.2 metric tonnes of wires, and the city of Shanghai has about 17,000 metric tonnes of consumer electronic cabling.

He asked the audience to consider the environmental impact in terms of landfill, to say nothing of the frustration of not having the right cable when you’re on the road.

Skaugen said Intel is starting with wired chargers and plans to introduce Rezence technology, a wireless charging interface standard developed by the Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP).

“Our vision is to make a single technology that scales from PCs to wearables so people can wirelessly charge their devices anywhere they go.”

Intel is working with Du Pont to incorporate the technology in countertops, and also is talking to airlines, hotels and carmakers so they can prepare to offer customers wireless charging, he said.

One of the big advantages of Rezence, which uses magnetic resonance, is that a device doesn’t have to be placed in a precise position to charge and it can charge multiple devices at the same time. There is no physical contact with the transmitter, which can be mounted under tables or counters.

While Intel thinks magnet resonance offers the best experience for wireless charging, Skaugen noted Intel understands there are other technologies out there and wants to make sure the consumer has the best experience across the board, so it integrated all three major technologies – Qi, Powermat and magnetic resonance — into one platform.

He also announced a new partnership with Chinese appliance maker Haier to take wireless charging not only to homes, but to restaurants, hotels, airports and eventually planes.

Based on consumer surveys, he said people have a strong desire to eliminate wires as well as passwords.

Its RealSense cameras now offer password-less biometric security with iris-scanning support in PCs, and Intel is working to integrate the 3D technology into its next-generation tablets over the next couple of years.