MediaTek CEO talks about partnership with TSMC, first 3nm chip

Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer

MediaTek

has already announced that it has successfully developed its first 3nm chipset with

TSMC

. This new mobile platform is 32% more power-efficient than the previous-generation silicon. However, the company hasn’t announced the exact name of the chipset. Now, the chipmaking company’s CEO Rick Tsai has spoken about the close partnership with its foundry partner. In a statement to Taiwan-based publication Economic News Daily (spotted by Wccftech), he stated that both companies are working together to launch MediaTek’s first 3nm product which is rumoured to be called the Dimensity 9400.
How MediaTek and TSMC is working together to improve 3nm chips
TSMC and MediaTek are reportedly working together to optimise efficiency for the Dimensity 9400. However, just like the Dimensity 9300, the succeeding chipset will also reportedly lack low-power cores.
Tsai said that the AI boom will help the company in the coming year to result in a positive outcome. Earlier, analysts noted that the Dimensity 9300 is currently the most powerful smartphone chipset. Moreover, the company also expects that Android phone makers using it in their flagships will also increase the number of orders. This will also boost MediaTek’s global market share to 35%, threatening rival Qualcomm’s dominance.

The company’s CEO also mentioned that its partnership with TSMC allows MediaTek to focus on the new 3nm chipset. He also said the company has also partnered with Intel for its 16nm node. However, the report didn’t mention which silicon would be launched on that manufacturing process.
For the rumoured Dimensity 9400 SoC, the company will reportedly use TSMC’s ‘N3E’ process. This process is expected to offer improved yields than the N3B variant that Apple uses for the A17 Pro and M3.

How Dimensity 9400 may not be more efficient than its predecessor
The relationship between the two companies will help the Dimensity 9400 to be well optimised for various smartphone brands. The Dimensity 9300 offers powerful performance but isn’t as efficient as it does not feature any low-power cores.
MediaTek is rumoured to retain a similar CPU cluster with the Dimensity 9400. This will offer a Cortex-X5 paired with an unnamed CPU design to deliver improved multi-core performance. However, the lack of efficient cores may have an adverse effect on this chipset’s power draw, the report notes. So, TSMC and MediaTek may be working together to mitigate these effects.
Qualcomm may also have a similar relationship for the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. However, both rivals are expected to introduce more improved silicon in 2024.