A Comprehensive History of MediaTek

With the MediaTek Govt Summit upon us, this submit goals to cowl the historical past of Mediatek and their rise to grow to be a key participant on this planet of system-on-chips.

On this complete exploration, we’ll delve into MediaTek’s notable acquisitions, monetary efficiency, and their outstanding vary of chipsets tailor-made for smartphones, Chromebooks & tablets, sensible houses, and even automotive networking merchandise. Be part of us as we uncover the fascinating journey of MediaTek and its vital contributions to the ever-evolving world of know-how.

Company Historical past

MediaTek was initially established in 1997 as a unit of United Microelectronics Company (UMC), a Taiwanese semiconductor foundry. The unit was centered on designing chipsets for dwelling leisure merchandise like optical drives and DVD gamers. On 28 Could 1997, the unit formally spun off from UMC and included as MediaTek Inc. The corporate was listed on the Taiwan Inventory Trade on 23 July 2001 below the inventory code “2454”.

Within the early years, MediaTek centered on optical drive chipsets earlier than increasing into DVD participant and digital TV chipsets. All through the 2000s, the corporate grew quickly by supplying chipsets to producers of optical drives, DVD gamers, cell phones and different shopper electronics gadgets.

A significant milestone got here in 2005 when MediaTek acquired Inprocomm, a Taiwanese wi-fi semiconductor design firm. This allowed MediaTek to enter the cell phone chipset market. Over the following few years, MediaTek gained vital market share in cell chipsets, particularly in rising markets like China, India and Southeast Asia.

MediaTek additional expanded its chipset portfolio by way of a number of key acquisitions:

• In 2008, MediaTek acquired the mobile radio and baseband chipset divisions from Analog Units for $350 million. This accelerated MediaTek’s transfer into cell chipsets.
• In 2011, MediaTek acquired Ralink Know-how for $248 million, gaining Wi-Fi chipset capabilities.
• In 2012, MediaTek acquired Coresonic, a Swedish producer of digital sign processing merchandise, for $19 million.
• In 2014, MediaTek acquired MStar Semiconductor for $3.8 billion. MStar was a key rival in digital TV chipsets.
• In 2016, MediaTek accomplished the acquisition of Richtek Know-how, an influence administration IC firm, for $690 million.

By the early 2010s, MediaTek had grow to be a high participant in cell chipsets, particularly in rising smartphone markets. The corporate additionally maintained a powerful place in digital TV, optical storage and different dwelling leisure chipsets. MediaTek has constantly ranked among the many high 10 fabless chip design firms globally when it comes to income.

Key Acquisitions

Among the main acquisitions in MediaTek’s historical past embrace:

• 2005: MediaTek acquired Inprocomm, a Taiwanese wi-fi semiconductor design firm, for an undisclosed quantity. This allowed MediaTek to enter the cell chipset market.
• 2008: MediaTek acquired the mobile radio and baseband chipset divisions from Analog Units for $350 million. This accelerated MediaTek’s transfer into cell chipsets.
• 2011: MediaTek acquired Ralink Know-how for $248 million. Ralink was a key participant in Wi-Fi chipsets for cell and shopper gadgets.
• 2012: MediaTek acquired Coresonic, a Swedish digital sign processing firm, for $19 million. This expanded MediaTek’s audio and voice capabilities.
• 2014: MediaTek acquired rival digital TV chipset maker MStar Semiconductor for $3.8 billion. This consolidated MediaTek’s lead in TV chipsets.
• 2016: MediaTek acquired energy administration IC firm Richtek Know-how for $690 million. This allowed MediaTek to supply extra built-in chipset options.
• 2021: MediaTek acquired the Wi-Fi chipset enterprise from Intel for $250 million. This boosted MediaTek’s Wi-Fi 6 and 6E capabilities.

These strategic acquisitions have allowed MediaTek to develop into new product segments and acquire know-how capabilities to construct extra built-in chipset options.

Monetary Efficiency

MediaTek has proven sturdy and constant monetary progress over the previous decade:

• Income has grown from NT$53 billion in 2011 to NT$548 billion in 2021, reflecting a 9x improve.
• Gross revenue has expanded from NT$20 billion in 2011 to NT$256 billion in 2021.
• Working revenue has grown from NT$4 billion in 2011 to NT$127 billion in 2021.
• Web revenue has risen from NT$4 billion in 2011 to NT$111 billion in 2021.

MediaTek’s income progress has been pushed by its sturdy efficiency in cell chipsets, particularly in rising markets like China, India, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa. The corporate has constantly held the #2 place globally in smartphone chipset market share since 2014, behind Qualcomm.

Different components driving MediaTek’s progress embrace:

• Gaining market share in digital TV and different dwelling leisure chipsets by way of the acquisition of MStar in 2014.
• Increasing into new product areas like voice assistant gadgets, Wi-Fi chipsets, automotive chipsets and IoT chipsets.
• Leveraging a fabless mannequin with foundry companions like TSMC and UMC to effectively scale manufacturing.

Chipsets for Smartphones

MediaTek is a number one provider of chipset platforms for smartphones globally. Among the main MediaTek smartphone chipset households embrace:

• Dimensity: MediaTek’s flagship 5G smartphone chipset lineup with built-in 5G modems. Standard fashions embrace Dimensity 9000, 1200, 1000, 900, 810 and 700 amongst others.
• Helio: MediaTek’s 4G LTE smartphone chipset collection standard in mid-range telephones. Prime fashions embrace Helio G99, G96, G95, G90, P95 and P90 amongst others.
• MTK: MediaTek’s price range smartphone chipset lineup. Fashions like MT6765, MT6762 and MT6739 have been broadly utilized in entry-level telephones.

MediaTek’s technique has centered on excessive integration and offering full chipset platforms. By integrating parts like software processors, modems, AI processing models, graphics and connectivity, MediaTek has diminished the complexity and value for smartphone makers.

The corporate has additionally excelled in supporting the precise wants of markets like India, China, Southeast Asia and Africa with chipsets optimized for native efficiency and worth factors.

Historical past of Mediatek Chipsets for Smartphones

The next is a historical past of some (not all) of they essential cell chipsets MediaTek have launched through the years,

Early Chipsets (pre-2010)

• MT6235 – Launched in 2003, one in every of MediaTek’s first chipsets for GSM telephones. Utilized in telephones just like the Samsung SGH-E700.
• MT6225 – Finances chipset launched in 2004, present in telephones just like the LG KG800 Chocolate.
• MT6227 – Low-cost chipset from 2006, utilized in telephones just like the Sony Ericsson W300.
• MT6516 – First chipset with built-in graphics (PowerVR MBX Lite GPU). Utilized in Sony Ericsson C702 in 2008.

Progress in Function Telephones (2010-2013)

• MT6573 – Standard chipset in 2011, with ARM Cortex-A5 CPU. Utilized in telephones like Huawei Ideos X3.
• MT6575 – First dual-core chipset in 2012, with PowerVR SGX531 GPU. Telephones like Lenovo A60 used this.
• MT6589 – Quad-core chipset with PowerVR SGX544 GPU, huge in 2013 telephones like Oppo Discover 5.

Transition to Smartphones (2013-2016)

• MT6572 – Finances quad-core chipset from 2013, present in telephones like Asus Zenfone 4.
• MT6582 – Extra highly effective price range quad-core chipset utilized in Xiaomi Redmi 1S.
• MT6752 – First 64-bit octa-core chipset in 2014, utilized in Elephone P7000.
• MT6795 – Excessive-end chipset in 2015 with PowerVR G6200 GPU. Utilized in telephones like Huawei P8max.
• MT6750 – Standard price range octa-core chipset in 2016, utilized in telephones like Samsung Galaxy J7.

Progress in 4G Smartphones (2016-2019)

• MT6737 – Finances quad-core chipset with 4G LTE, utilized in Samsung Galaxy J2 Professional.
• MT6763 – Extra superior octa-core 4G chipset present in Xiaomi Redmi Y1.
• MT6771 – Excessive efficiency chipset with Helio P60 CPU utilized in Vivo V9.
• MT6765 – Higher mid-range chipset in 2019 powering telephones like Oppo A9 2020.
• MT6785 – 5G-enabled chipset in 2019, utilized in telephones like Vivo Z1 Professional 5G.

Latest Chipsets (2020 onwards)

• Helio G90T – Gaming centered chipset utilized in telephones like Redmi Be aware 8 Professional and Realme 6.
• Dimensity 800 – 5G chipset in 2020 telephones like Realme X50 5G.
• Dimensity 1100 – Higher mid-range 5G chipset utilized in OnePlus Nord 2 5G.
• Dimensity 9000 – Flagship 5G chipset in 2022 telephones like Xiaomi 12S Extremely.
• MediaTek Dimensity 9200: Flagship chipset utilized in 2023 on telephones just like the Xiaomi 13T Professional

Chipsets for Chromebooks & Tablets

For Chromebooks and tablets, MediaTek offers the Kompanio collection of chipsets:

• Kompanio 1300T: MediaTek’s flagship chipset for premium Chromebooks launched in 2021. Constructed utilizing a 6nm course of, it integrates an octa-core Arm Cortex-A78 CPU as much as 3GHz, Mali-G77 MC9 GPU and MediaTek APU 3.0 AI processor.
• Kompanio 1200: Utilized in mid-range Chromebooks with octa-core Cortex-A76 CPU, Mali-G57 GPU and MediaTek APU 3.0.
• Kompanio 820 and 810: Entry-level Chromebook chipsets with quad-core A55 CPUs and PowerVR GE8320 GPUs.

For tablets, MediaTek provides chipsets just like the MT8788 and MT8183 utilizing quad-core A73 CPUs plus Mali-G72 MP3 graphics. The Kompanio collection additionally powers many mid-range Android tablets.

MediaTek’s technique for Chromebooks and tablets has centered on delivering built-in options with multimedia, AI, connectivity and battery life optimizations.

Historical past of Mediatek Chipsets for Chromebooks & Tablets

Early Chipsets (2016-2018)

• MT8173C – First MediaTek chipset for Chromebooks in 2016, utilized in early fashions like ASUS Chromebook Flip C100PA. Had quad-core Cortex-A53 CPU.
• MT8176 – Improve in 2017 with twin Cortex-A72 + quad Cortex-A53, present in Lenovo Flex 11 Chromebook.
• MT8183 – 2018 chipset with extra highly effective quad Cortex-A73 CPU, utilized in Lenovo Chromebook C330.

Transition to Kompanio Model (2019-2020)

• MT8192 – First Kompanio chipset in 2019, octa-core Cortex-A73 CPU. Utilized in Lenovo Chromebook Duet.
• MT8195 – Larger-end Kompanio chip in 2020 with Cortex-A76 CPU. Seen in ASUS Chromebook Flip CM5.
• MT8192B – Iteration of MT8192 with minor updates, utilized in 2020 fashions like HP Chromebook x360 14c.

Latest Premium Kompanio Chipsets (2021 onwards)

• Kompanio 1300T – Flagship 8-core Cortex-A78 chipset in 2021, utilized in Acer Chromebook Spin 713.
• Kompanio 1200 – Barely lower-end 6-core Cortex-A76 mannequin, in 2022 gadgets like ASUS Chromebook CX9.
• Kompanio 520 – New entry-level chipset with 6-core Cortex-A55 CPU in 2022 Chromebooks.
• Kompanio 528 – Iteration with minor enhancements over Kompanio 520.

Chipsets for Good House

MediaTek provides a number of chipset households for sensible dwelling and IoT gadgets:

• Genio: Contains chipsets like MT8516, MT8518, MT8521 optimized for sensible audio system, shows and residential automation. Integrates DSP and ML for voice assistant edge AI.
• Filogic: Wi-Fi 6, 6E and seven chipsets just like the Filogic 880 and 380 for entire dwelling mesh networking and connectivity.
• Pentonic: Good TV chipsets just like the Pentonic 2000 with AI image high quality, Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR and 8K video help.
• Halo: Platform for matter gadgets to allow sensible dwelling interoperability.
• i500: Chipset for 4G/5G connectivity in industrial IoT functions.

MediaTek’s sensible dwelling chipset technique focuses on supporting the newest requirements like Wi-Fi 6/7, Bluetooth 5.2, Matter and voice assistant edge AI. The corporate works intently with manufacturers like Amazon, Google and Zigbee.

Historical past of Mediatek Chipsets for Good House and Leisure

Early Chipsets (pre-2010)

• MT8560 – Launched in 2008, one in every of MediaTek’s first chipsets for optical disc drives and residential leisure gadgets.
• MT8563 – Chipset launched in 2009 for DVD gamers and Blu-ray disc gamers. Supported HD video decoding.

Transition to Good House Focus (2010-2015)

• MT8507 – Launched in 2010, one in every of MediaTek’s first chipsets designed for sensible TVs and sensible dwelling gadgets.
• MT5592 – Quad-core chipset from 2013 optimized for sensible TVs and streaming dongles. Utilized in gadgets like Amazon Fireplace TV Stick.
• MT5595 – Larger efficiency sensible TV chipset launched in 2014, supported 4K video. Utilized in Sony Bravia TVs.

IoT and Voice Assistant Merchandise (2016-2020)

• MT8516 – Chipset launched in 2017 centered on sensible audio system and voice assistant gadgets. Supplied edge AI processing.
• MT8518 – Iteration of MT8516 launched in 2018 with upgrades for voice UI and far-field voice recognition.
• MT8521 – Chipset from 2019 designed for sensible shows like Google Nest Hub.
• MT8685 – WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 chipset launched in 2020, utilized in mesh networking merchandise.

Latest Premium Chipsets (2021 onwards)

• Genio 1200 – Launched in 2021 for premium sensible audio system and home equipment with extra superior AI processing.
• Pentonic 2000 – Flagship sensible TV chipset with 8K help and 120Hz refresh charges, launched in 2021.
• Genio 1300 – Newest edge AI chipset from 2022 for next-generation voice assistants and cameras.
• Filogic 880 – WiFi 7 chipset launched in 2022, permits high-speed wi-fi connectivity as much as 33Gbps.

MediaTek Dimensity Auto

In early 2022, MediaTek introduced the launch of Dimensity Auto chipsets for in-vehicle infotainment methods. Key highlights embrace:

• Constructed on TSMC 4nm course of with octa-core CPU, 9 core GPU and MediaTek AI processor.
• Helps one 4K or two full HD shows with HDR10+ playback.
• Built-in 5G modem with satellite tv for pc positioning help.
• MediaTek MiraVision graphics engine for Google Android Automotive OS.
• Superior driver help system (ADAS) capabilities together with encompass view cameras.
• Built-in cybersecurity framework to guard towards automotive cyber assaults.

The Dimensity Auto platform goals to convey modern infotainment, connectivity and ADAS options to the following technology of sensible automobiles.

Networking Merchandise for Wi-Fi and 5G

For dwelling and enterprise networking, MediaTek provides each Wi-Fi and 5G chipset options:

• Filogic Wi-Fi: Contains Wi-Fi 6, 6E and the brand new 7 chipsets for mesh networking, extenders and broadband CPEs.
• T750 5G modem: MediaTek’s first 5G modem with help for each mmWave and sub-6 GHz 5G networks. Utilized in 5G dwelling routers and hotspots.
• T700 5G modem: A extra compact sub-6 GHz 5G modem for IoT gadgets and industrial functions.
• LinkHub: Platform for 5G NR-based enterprise networking together with SD-WAN routers, gateways and managed Wi-Fi.

MediaTek is actively growing Wi-Fi 7, 5G Superior and multi-link networking applied sciences for next-generation connectivity calls for.

Historical past of Mediatek Chipsets for Good House and Leisure

Early Wi-Fi Chipsets

• RT3050 (2010) – One among MediaTek’s first Wi-Fi chipsets after buying Ralink, utilized in routers and USB Wi-Fi dongles. Supported 802.11n speeds as much as 150Mbps.
• RT3070 (2011) – Successor to the RT3050, additionally 802.11n as much as 150Mbps. Utilized in gadgets just like the TP-Hyperlink TL-WR710N pocket router.
• RT3572 (2012) – First twin band 802.11n chipset from MediaTek, as much as 300Mbps velocity. Seen in ASUS RT-N10 routers.

802.11ac Period

• MT7610 (2014) – First 802.11ac chipset from MediaTek, wave 1 SU-MIMO supporting as much as 433Mbps. Used within the Linksys WRT1900AC router.
• MT7612U (2015) – USB 3.0 adapter model of the MT7610, utilized in dongles just like the TP-Hyperlink Archer T4U.
• MT7620A (2016) – Decrease price 802.11ac chipset, as much as 867Mbps. Utilized in many price range AC routers.

Transition to Filogic Model

• MT7621A (2017) – Rebranded as Filogic 310, utilized in routers just like the Xiaomi Mi Router 4A.
• MT7615 (2018) – First Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) chip, as much as 1.2Gbps. Rebranded as Filogic 880.
• MT7915 (2019) – Larger-end Wi-Fi 6 chipset supporting as much as 6GHz. Utilized in routers like ASUS RT-AX89X.

Latest Filogic Chipsets

• Filogic 380 (2020) – Wi-Fi 6E chipset with 6GHz help. Utilized in gadgets just like the Netgear Nighthawk RAXE500.
• Filogic 880 (2021) – Wi-Fi 7 chip, as much as 33Gbps speeds. Seen within the ASUS RT-AX99 router.
• Filogic 680 (2022) – Mid-range Wi-Fi 6E chipset for mesh methods and extenders.

Early 4G/5G Modems

• MT6290 (2015) – One among MediaTek’s first LTE modems, CAT6 speeds as much as 300Mbps downlink.
• MT7621 (2016) – Built-in Wi-Fi/LTE modem chip for cell hotspots and routers. Utilized in Huawei E5788.

5G Modem Chipsets

• MT6885 (2019) – First built-in 5G modem chipset, sub-6GHz solely. Utilized in telephones like Oppo Reno3 5G.
• MT6893 (2020) – 5G modem with mmWave help, as much as 7.67Gbps. Utilized in telephones like LG Wing 5G.
• T750 (2021) – Standalone 5G mmWave + sub-6GHz modem for hotspots like Inseego FX2000.
• T770 (2022) – Iteration of T750 with help for 5G provider aggregation.

Web of Issues

MediaTek provides an in depth vary of chipsets for IoT gadgets throughout shopper, industrial and automotive segments:

• Genio: Edge AI chipsets for sensible audio system, shows and cameras.
• i500: Mobile IoT platform with built-in 5G, GPS and AI. Targets industrial IoT.
• i300: Entry-level NB-IoT chipset for low energy IoT connectivity.
• Halo: Platform to allow sensible dwelling system interoperability utilizing Matter.
• AutoChips: Chipsets for in-vehicle infotainment, telematics and ADAS.

MediaTek can be a member of the RISC-V Worldwide Board of Administrators and is growing RISC-V based mostly microcontroller models (MCUs) for varied IoT functions.

The corporate goals to help the rising IoT market with optimized chipsets that provide connectivity, edge AI, multimedia and sturdy safety.