Handset chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) yesterday said its first bio-processor would be available for use in smartphones and wearable devices next quarter at the earliest, joining rivals in extending chip offerings for fledging health data demand.
MediaTek, which supplies Chinese brands including Xiaomi Corp (小米) and Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp (歐珀移動), said its bio-processor module would allow users to track health data such as heart rate, blood pressure and peripheral oxygen saturation.
The company is developing bio-processors to track more health data, including blood sugar, said T.L. Lee (李宗霖), general manager of MediaTek’s wireless communications business unit.
“We are optimistic about this new product line, which adds to the company’s offerings of mobile phone processors,” Lee told a media briefing in Taipei. “This new product can multiply [shipments], as the module can be incorporated with our mobile processors, with solutions for the Internet of Things or with wearable devices.”
INVESTMENT
MediaTek in 2001 invested in bio-processors development in collaboration with National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University Hospital, Lee said.
The new bio-processors are expected to increase revenue as soon as next year, he said, citing sizeable market potential due to increasing healthcare needs in aging societies.
In addition to bio-processors, MediaTek is also scheduled to step up the launch of processors with artificial intelligence (AI) features, such as the release of facial recognition with 3D scanning for smartphones and other devices in the first half of next year, Lee said, while demonstrating the application on a Samsung Electronics Co smartphone.
Samsung adopted MediaTek’s AI processor — dubbed Helio P25 — for its J7 Plus model.
Lee gave an upbeat outlook for the company’s first-quarter business, citing rising demand for its new Helio P series processors.
KEEPING PACE
To cope with increasing demand for mid and high-end smartphones, the company is to keep Helio P series processors as its priority next year, Lee said.
MediaTek plans to relaunch the Helio X series — the company’s premium mobile processors — only when demand for flagship handsets improves, Lee added.
The company stopped rolling out new Helio X chips earlier this year due to weak demand, Lee said.
Consumer demand for smartphones in emerging markets such as India, Southeast Asia and Latin America would be the major growth drivers for MediaTek’s products, he said.
For the whole of this year, shipments of mobile phones to emerging markets are forecast to grow 7 to 8 percent annually, he said.
“The strongest growth will come from India, as people there are replacing feature phones with smartphones,” Lee said. “India is a populous country with a fast-growing economy.”
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