Chip designer MediaTek Inc (聯發科) has formed a strategic partnership with Intel Corp to manufacture chips using the US company’s matured process technology as the Taiwanese firm aims to build more resilient and balanced foundry sources, the companies said yesterday.
The agreement will help MediaTek add a new foundry partner with significant capacity in the US and Europe, according to the joint statement said.
“Building on the existing 5G data card venture with Intel, MediaTek is extending the partnership into Intel Foundry Service (IFS) to mature Intel 16 node to support our fast-growing smart edge devices,” MediaTek said in a joint statement.
Photo: David Chang, EPA-EFE
MediaTek said it is to adopt Intel's Intel 16 process node, which is comparable to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's (TSMC, 台積電) 22-nanomter process node, to produce chips used in TVs, routers and other smart-home devices.
“In addition to maintaining a close partnership with TSMC in advanced process nodes, this collaboration [with Intel] will enhance MediaTek’s supply for mature process nodes,” the company said. “We believe this collaboration will help our further market expansion in global smart edge devices”
MediaTek is one of the early adopters of TSMC’s most advanced process technologies such as 4-nanometer and 7-nanometer technologies to build their smartphone chips.
MediaTek is “our long-term customer and we have a strong partnership in advanced technology collaboration. There is no impact on TSMC’s business with MediaTek,” TSMC said of MediaTek’s deal with Intel.
MediaTek has long adopted a multi-sourcing strategy, N.S. Tsai (蔡能賢), corporate senior vice president of the firm’s platform technology and manufacturing operations, said in the statement.
The company already partners with Intel on the 5G data card business, and aims to deepen their collaboration to smart edge devices through IFS, Tsai said.
Intel established IFS last year to help meet rising demand for advanced semiconductor manufacturing capacity. The company recently announced factory expansions at existing sites, as well as plans for major investments in new sites in Ohio and Germany.
“We have the right combination of advanced process technology and geographically diverse capacity to help MediaTek deliver the next billion connected devices across a range of applications,” IFS president Randhir Thakur said in the joint statement.
The EU and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg. The EU and US would also cooperate on standards, investments and joint projects, as well as coordinate on any supply disruptions by countries like China. The two sides are additionally seeking other “like-minded partners” to join a multicountry accord to help create these new critical mineral supply chains, which feed into
Elon Musk’s lieutenants have reached out to chip industry suppliers, including Applied Materials Inc, Tokyo Electron Ltd and Lam Research Corp, for his envisioned Terafab, early steps in an audacious and likely arduous attempt to break into the production of cutting-edge chips. Staff working for the joint venture between Tesla Inc and Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) have sought price quotes and delivery times for an array of chipmaking gear, people familiar with the matter said. In past weeks, they’ve contacted makers of photomasks, substrates, etchers, depositors, cleaning devices, testers and other tools, according to the people, who asked not to
For weeks now, the global tech industry has been waiting for a major artificial intelligence (AI) launch from DeepSeek (深度求索), seen as a benchmark for China’s progress in the fast-moving field. More than a year has passed since the start-up put Chinese AI on the map in early last year with a low-cost chatbot that performed at a similar level to US rivals. However, despite reports and rumors about its imminent release, DeepSeek’s next-generation “V4” model is nowhere in sight. Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new
Japan approved ￥631.5 billion (US$3.97 billion) in additional subsidies to hasten Rapidus Corp’s entry into the high-stakes artificial intelligence (AI) chipmaking arena, ramping up support for a project widely regarded as a long shot. The capital is intended to bankroll Rapidus’ work for information technology firm Fujitsu Ltd, one of the initial customers that Tokyo hopes would get the signature endeavor off the ground. The new money raises the fees and investments that the government is injecting into the start-up to ￥2.6 trillion by the end of the current fiscal year to March next year, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and
RSS