MediaTek Inc (聯發科), the world’s second-biggest mobile phone chip designer, yesterday said that next quarter it is to deliver the first chipset powered by Microsoft Inc’s Azure Sphere for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
It is the latest move by the company to expand into new growth areas including, IoT businesses, as growth in mobile phone shipments decelerates.
The Hsinchu-based company has identified IoT, power management and application-specific integrated circuits as the next fastest-growing areas for the firm.
The chips, accounting for about 30 percent of MediaTek’s revenue during the final quarter of last year, are likely to see 30 percent annual growth this year and a double-digit-percentage growth in revenue in the next two to three years, MediaTek said.
The Azure Sphere system-on-chip (SoC), code-named MT3620, is to drive IoT innovation with built-in security and connectivity, MediaTek said.
MediaTek said it has worked with Microsoft to develop a specialized chipset with a Wi-Fi connected controller built around a processor designed to run Azure Sphere’s IoT operating system. It also includes built-in support for Microsoft’s latest security protocols.
“MediaTek has a long history of working with Microsoft on specific SoC designs that meet demanding connectivity needs,” said Jerry Yu (游人傑), a vice president of MediaTek in charge of the Intelligent Devices Business Group. “On top of our close ties with Microsoft and design expertise, Microsoft had a vision we also believed in. Bringing trust and security into IoT solutions from chip to cloud, to make connected devices practical to sell and manage for businesses and consumers.”
MediaTek said it expects the product to be released by the third quarter.
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