MediaTek to use TSMC’s 6nm architecture for manufacturing its new chip

MediaTek Inc., a Taiwan-based fabless semiconductor firm, has reportedly announced plans to use TSMC’s (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.) 6-nanometer chip-making technology for its latest chip aimed at flagship 5G smartphones.

MediaTek is considered as one of the first high volume clients for this technology and is among few firms with modem technology to connect mobile phones with data networks, competing against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. and Qualcomm Inc.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the company is planning to develop these new chips named ‘Dimensity 1100 and 1200’ in a bid to target a higher-priced handsets market where Qualcomm Inc’s Snapdragon chips have historically held a maximum market share.

Like Apple and Qualcomm, MediaTek designs such chips and then contracts out for production to external firms. The latest chips will be manufactured at TSMC with 6-nanometer chip-making technology.

Currently, Apple leverages TSMC’s 5-nanometer technology, while Qualcomm’s chips are being manufactured by Samsung Electronics on 5-nanometer technology. It is worth mentioning that smaller chipmaker technology is quicker and power efficient. MediaTek’s prior chips utilized a 7-nanometer process, and moving to the latest manufacturing technology together with progressions in the chip’s design will make it 22 percent faster at computing tasks and consume 25 percent less power.

In recent years, MediaTek has emerged as one of the leading companies manufacturing chips for powering smartphones. As per sources, the company is anticipated to provide its latest technology named ‘MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC’ to Redmi to power its first gaming smartphone.

The news comes as numerous OEMs including Oppo, Realme, Xiaomi, and Vivo have announced their plans to launch new phones powered with the new SoC. It follows a prior development in which Lu Weibing, General Manager at Redmi, hinted that the planned Redmi K30 Extreme successor will be powered by MediaTek’s new technology that is designed on 6nm architecture.

Source credit - https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mediatek-tech/mediatek-taps-tsmc-6-nanometer-tech-for-new-flagship-5g-phone-chips-idUSKBN29P0NG

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