Mediatek to launch AI chips for Microsoft Windows PCs late next year: Report

Mediatek to join the AI PC race with ARM-based chips, launching in late 2025.

Rick Tsai, the vice chairman and CEO of Mediatek delivering his keynote at Computex 2024. (Image credit: Vivek Umashankar/The Indian Express)

The first wave of Qualcomm-powered AI Copilot+ PCs will hit the market in just a couple of days, starting June 18. Now, a new report from Reuters suggests that MediaTek might soon join Qualcomm in the AI PC laptop race with its own AI chips.

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X series of chips for Windows PCs last year. The laptops powered by these processors are labelled Copilot+ PCs. For now, it is not known if MediaTek-powered AI PCs will also belong to the same class as Copilot+ PCs.

MediaTek’s AI PC chips are reported to go official “late next year,” and will be based on ARM’s ready-made designs, which will help MediaTek fast-track the design, development, and testing of these chips. Considering these are being labelled as chips, they are likely to include a neural processing unit (NPU) to deliver on-device AI experiences.

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Also read | ‘Mediatek Dimensity 9300+ chip can deliver AI performance comparable to latest Copilot+ PC’: CEO Rick Tsai at Computex 2024

Mediatek, at Computex 2024, also showcased that its flagship mobile chip, the Dimensity 9300+, is already as powerful as a chip that powers Copilot+ PCs. It also hinted that the announcement for the next-generation Dimensity 9400 will happen in the next few months.

At Computex 2024, Intel and AMD introduced their AI PC chips based on x86 architecture. In contrast, MediaTek’s upcoming AI PC chips, like Qualcomm’s, will be based on the more power-efficient than the conventional x86 instruction set. Additionally, AMD and NVIDIA are reportedly working on ARM chips for Windows laptops, expected to debut soon.

Qualcomm’s exclusive deal with Microsoft as the sole supplier of ARM-based AI chips for Windows PCs, dating back to 2016, is reportedly expiring soon, possibly this year. This will open up the market for brands like MediaTek and AMD to participate.

Also read | Computex 2024: Cristiano Amon says ‘It’s graduation day for Qualcomm as a leader in compute’

Since Apple saw tremendous success with the Apple Silicon on Mac, PC chip makers are trying to replicate the success.

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Qualcomm hasn’t had success with ARM chips for Windows PCs until recently. However, with the Snapdragon X series of chips, the company is claiming to offer performance that’s better than Apple Silicon and similarly priced Windows laptops with an Intel or AMD processor. Right now, a Copilot+ PC will cost at least $999, and with more chips and options, this price tag is likely to come down, paving the way for affordable ARM-based Windows PCs, and these developments could shake up Intel’s dominance in the PC world.