MediaTek to unveil next generation flagship Dimensity 9400 chipset in Q4

Taipei, Jan. 30 (CNA) Taiwan-based smartphone IC designer MediaTek Inc. is planning to introduce its next generation Dimensity 9400 in the fourth quarter of this year to support artificial intelligence applications, company CEO Rick Tsai (蔡力行) said Tuesday.

Speaking at a ceremony where MediaTek broke ground on an office building located close to Hsinchu High Speed Rail station, Tsai said the Dimensity 9300, which was unveiled in early November 2022, was a success with many clients expressing satisfaction with the product.

MediTake has faith that the upcoming Dimensity 9400 will outperform the Dimensity 9300 and lead to another sales pinnacle for the company, Tsai said.

As for Dimensity 9300, its Big Core Design is built using contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s (TSMC) third-generation 4nm process, and the chipset offers an almost 46 percent increase in graphic process unit (GPU) performance compared to its predecessor, the Dimensity 9200 chipset, at the same level of power consumption.

The launch of the Dimensity 9400 will be part of a development trend for smartphones to be equipped with AI applications, Tsai said.

Commenting on the construction of the new office building in Hsinchu, MediaTek Chairman Tsai Ming-kai (蔡明介) said the investment shows the IC designer's commitment to Taiwan's IC design industry and the company's confidence in the country's technology development.

The construction of the office building, which has 12 floors above ground and an additional five floors underground, is scheduled to be completed in 2027 and will accommodate 3,000 personnel as part of the company's efforts to boost its talent pool, Tsai Ming-kai said.

Taiwan's IC industry needs more investments in research and development and further cultivation of talent, he added.

In response, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), who also attended the ground breaking ceremony, said the government will continue to fully support to the local IC design industry.

The government has launched the five-year Chip-based Industrial Innovation Program, which aims to boost the output of Taiwan's IC design industry from 20 percent to 40 percent of the global total within 10 years.

MediaTek's new office building plan is an indicator for investment in Taiwan and the location of the building will provide convenience for both northbound and southbound transportation, Cheng said

Cheng added he believes the new building will become an outstanding R&D hub, praising MediaTek, which is among the top 10 IC designers in the global market, as a leader in the local IC industry.

According to a Taipei-based market information advisory firm TrendForce Corp., MediaTek ranked as the fifth largest IC designer in the world in the third quarter of last year, with Taiwan-based Novatek Microelectronics Corp., specializing in display driver IC design, and communications network IC designer Realtek Semiconductor Corp., another Taiwanese company, taking 7th and 8th places in the rankings.