Intel plans to make chips for Taiwan’s MediaTek to stay alongside of Asian production opponents

Intel Foundry Services and products will manufacture more than one chips for MediaTek for a spread of good edge units, the 2 firms stated on Monday.

Fabian Bimmer | Reuters

Intel will manufacture semiconductors for Taiwan’s MediaTek, giving the U.S. corporate a large spice up for its contract chipmaking trade.

MediaTek is without doubt one of the greatest providers of smartphone processers and a rival to Qualcomm. Intel Foundry Services and products will manufacture more than one chips for MediaTek for a spread of good edge units, the 2 firms stated on Monday.

After taking on as CEO of Intel final 12 months, Pat Gelsinger made revitalizing the foundry trade a key precedence to be able to meet up with and smash the dominance of its Asian opponents TSMC and Samsung. By way of its foundry trade, Intel will manufacture chips that different firms design. The U.S. massive plans to spend greater than $40 billion development fabrication crops around the globe.

“The settlement is designed to assist MediaTek construct a extra balanced, resilient provide chain in the course of the addition of a brand new foundry spouse with important capability in america and Europe,” Intel stated in a press free up.

NS Tsai, a company senior vp at MediaTek, stated the partnership with Intel “supplies price” to the corporate because it seeks “to create a extra various provide chain.”

TSMC is MediaTek’s primary production spouse for chips. It is unclear what MediaTek semiconductors Intel shall be chargeable for making.

MediaTek was once now not instantly to be had for remark when contacted by means of CNBC.

Chip firms around the globe had been that specialize in strengthening their provide chains and diversifying manufacturing amid a world chip scarcity that has continued since early 2021.

However the production of essentially the most complex chips isn’t one thing many firms can do and is in reality is ruled by means of TSMC and Samsung. Those two firms account for greater than 70% of world foundry earnings, in step with TrendForce.

As call for continues to upward thrust for chips, Intel and its Asian opponents plan to ramp up spending on foundries.

However Intel lags a long way in the back of, regardless that gaining MediaTek as a buyer will give the corporate a spice up. MediaTek had 38% of the smartphone utility processor marketplace within the first quarter, making it the largest corporate within the section, in step with Counterpoint Analysis.