MediaTek plans to implement Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s cutting-edge 2-nanometer chipmaking technology as early as September, CEO Rick Tsai announced Tuesday. The company will begin creating test chips, known as tape-outs, on TSMC’s 2nm node in the second half of this year, targeting eventual deployment in mass-market devices.
The move comes as MediaTek, the world’s leading mobile chip developer, faces mounting pressure in the increasingly competitive AI processor market. Manufacturing process advantages translate directly to performance and efficiency gains, critical factors as AI capabilities expand to more consumer devices.
Tsai indicated the company intends to utilize all of TSMC’s future advanced manufacturing technologies, suggesting a long-term commitment to maintaining technological parity with rivals.
Industry analysts note that access to TSMC’s most advanced nodes remains constrained and costly, with Apple and NVIDIA typically securing priority capacity. MediaTek’s early adoption announcement may serve to reassure investors about its competitive positioning for future mobile and AI products.
TSMC’s 2nm process is expected to deliver significant improvements in power efficiency and performance over current 3nm technology, potentially reshaping the competitive landscape among chip designers.
