MediaTek has announced the tape-out of its flagship SoC, fabricated on TSMC’s 2nm process node, which will be available by the end of 2026.
MediaTek has just made a surprise announcement regarding its next-gen and flagship SoC (system-on-chip). This unnamed chip has been taped out using TSMC’s 2nm process node and will be ready for mass production by the end of next year, after which it will be available around the same timeframe (end of 2026).
MediaTek announced today (16) that its first flagship system-on-chip (SoC) using TSMC’s 2nm process has been successfully taped out, making it one of the first companies to adopt this technology and expected to enter mass production by the end of next year. The two parties have been working together to create chipsets that combine high performance and low power consumption in flagship mobile platforms, computing, automotive, data center and other application areas. This collaboration also symbolizes a new milestone in the solid partnership between MediaTek and TSMC.
TSMC’s 2nm process technology utilizes a nanosheet transistor structure for the first time, resulting in improved performance, power efficiency, and yield. MediaTek’s first chip using TSMC’s new 2nm process is expected to be available by the end of 2026.
Compared to the existing N3E process, TSMC’s enhanced 2nm process technology increases logic density by 1.2 times, improves performance by up to 18% at the same power consumption, and reduces power consumption by approximately 36% at the same speed.
MediaTek General Manager Guanzhou Chen stated, “The development of this chip using TSMC’s 2nm process technology once again demonstrates our industry-leading ability to broadly apply advanced semiconductor process technologies to diverse solutions. Our long-term, close collaboration with TSMC ensures MediaTek’s flagship products achieve the highest performance and best energy efficiency, bringing exceptional solutions from edge to cloud to customers worldwide.”
The company hasn’t stated which particular segment this flagship SoC will be aiming at, but the word “flagship” makes it seem like it will be another chip that may have something to do with NVIDIA, as both parties have already collaborated on the GB10 “Grace Blackwell” Superchip. The NVIDIA N1X and N1 SoC series were also being made in collaboration with NVIDIA, but haven’t seen any announcements despite a slew of rumors stating that we will see the chips launch in early 2025.
It might be possible that MediaTek and NVIDIA are waiting for the right optimizations and right time for their official and mass-market foray into the “AI PC” segment with a proper SoC solution, and with TSMC’s 2nm prowess, it might be the right decision to wait and go for a big launch later next year.
As for TSMC’s 2nm process technology, the new node will offer a logic density increase of 20%, improve performance by up to 18% at the same power, and reduce power consumption by 36% at the same speed, versus the N3E process node. The GB10 Superchip was made using TSMC’s 3nm process tech, so 2nm will provide a decent boost. Furthermore, AMD is also leveraging TSMC’s 2nm process technology for its Zen 6 CPUs.
We might hear more about this new SoC, either by MediaTek itself next year, around Computex 2026, or by NVIDIA if it is truly the chip both companies are collaborating on, by GTC 2026 or Computex. So expect more news next year.
Source link
