On May 26, 2023, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) officially released the IEC 62368-1:2023 (Fourth Edition) standard, suggesting that product planning and design be done in advance to facilitate the upgrading of new product standards.

The main differences between the fourth and third editions are:
1. Components certified according to IEC 60065/IEC 60950-1 are no longer accepted (refer to Chapter 4.1.1 of the second and third editions). During the previous certification process, products that have received components certified according to these old standards need to undergo retesting or provide new component certification materials in order to meet the requirements of the fourth edition of the standard.
2. Added testing requirements for thermoplastic material T.8. As an untouchable thermoplastic material for safety protection, it is also necessary to undergo stress relief testing at T.8.
3. Section 4.10.3 has added the requirements for the main power cord, clarifying that the power cord only needs to comply with the requirements of G.7 power cord and does not need to be treated as an external cord to comply with the requirements of Chapter 6, especially the fire protection requirements for external cords in Chapter 6.5.
4. The requirements for wireless power transmitters have been updated, clarifying that the testing requirements for wireless power transmitters are only applicable to flat transmitters. The testing method has been modified: foreign objects during testing should be reliably fixed, and the four cycles of testing foreign objects should be done twice. The first time, let the transmitter work before placing foreign objects, and the second time, let the transmitter work before placing foreign objects. The temperature limit value is relaxed.
5. For button batteries that are not detachable for children, protective requirements also need to be included in the manual.
6. For batteries used in fixed products, IEC62133-2 can be applied.
7. Many battery manufacturers provide current claims under segmented temperature conditions, and according to the new standard, both normal and fault conditions need to be considered, and provide detailed testing methods.
8. It is clear that both single cell and combination cell require evaluation of PS energy source, and only when the output is below PS1 can the flameproof enclosure be exempted.
9. Delete "portable" from the title of Chapter M.4, which applies to a wider range of devices.
10. Add additional safety protection requirements for standing equipment with lithium batteries.

It is expected that the European Union and North America will distribute the corresponding national standards of IEC 62368-1:2023 (fourth edition) for the first time within 6-12 months. At present, the latest version of the EU standard is EN IEC 62368-1:2020+A11:2020 (third edition), but the official OJ (Official Journal) standard version of the EU is still EN 62368-1:2014+A11:2017 (second edition). Therefore, it is widely believed in the industry that the EU will move beyond the third edition and directly list the fourth edition as the OJ Harmonized Standard.