Intel and MediaTek today announced that they will work together to make chips using the advanced process technologies of Intel Foundry Services (IFS). With the support and advice of a new foundry member with a lot of capacity in the U.S. and Europe, the agreement is meant to help MediaTek build a much more balanced and reliable supply chain. The news comes as the US semiconductor industry, and Intel in particular, are about to get a lot of money from the government to help them make more chips to sell abroad.
Furthermore, MediaTek also wants to use Intel’s manufacturing methods to make chips for a variety of smart accessories. IFS provides a comprehensive manufacturing platform that is built on a roadmap that ranges from production-proven three-dimensional FinFET semiconductors to next-generation innovations. These technologies are tailored for high performance, low power, and always-on communication.
Besides that, it’s unclear how many of the more than two billion devices that MediaTek presently produces each year will eventually originate from Intel’s foundries. Intel doesn’t say exactly how much of MediaTek’s production will happen in the US or Europe, though.
Commenting on this, NS Tsai, Corporate Senior Vice President of Platform Technology & Manufacturing Operations at MediaTek, said,
MediaTek has long adopted a multi-sourcing strategy. We have an existing 5G data card business partnership with Intel, and now extend our relationship to manufacturing smart edge devices through Intel Foundry Services. With its commitment to major capacity expansions, IFS provides value to MediaTek as we seek to create a more diversified supply chain. We look forward to building a long-term partnership to serve the fast-growing demand for our products from customers across the globe.
Regarding the partnership, IFS President Randhir Thakur, said,
As one of the world’s leading fabless chip designers powering more than 2 billion devices a year, MediaTek is a terrific partner for IFS as we enter our next phase of growth. 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.