MediaTek will bring 5G to consumers by targeting the sub-6GHz frequency band, which is ideal for India: Anku Jain

MediaTek, the world's 4th largest global fabless semiconductor company, is aligning its focus on 5G, AI and Rich IoT to create new age experiences across mobile and non-mobile categories in the year 2020.

MediaTek’s efforts to create a balanced portfolio across smartphones, smart homes and beyond resulted in nearly 32%-37% revenues coming from mobile computing (smartphones and tablets), 32-37% from AIoT/Analog/ASIC focusing on connectivity (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) for various devices and 28-33% revenues from smart-home and other categories in 2019.

To its credit, MediaTek is known to power more than 1.5 billion devices a year across some of the world’s leading brands like OPPO, Realme, VIVO, Samsung, Xiaomi, Lenovo, Sony, Microsoft, Paytm, LG, Google, Amazon, Alibaba.com and many others across products categories such as smartphones, automobile and surveillance cameras, smart bulb sockets, voice-assisted devices, audio systems, tablets, and portable biometric tablets among others.

Voice&Data in an engaging interaction with Anku Jain, Managing Director, MediaTek India, reveals how India has been a key growth market for the company. Jain in the discussion elaborates a lot about MediaTek’s flagship 5G chips in the market and how the company is tapping India’s potential, fast-growing gaming market.

Through our chipsets, we are keen on making 5G accessible to the end-users so that they can draw full benefit of this innovation.

Voice&Data: The mobile device industry is undergoing a massive revolution with major tech advances. How has MediaTek constantly strived to meet the processor demands?

Anku Jain: MediaTek is a firm believer in making great technology available and accessible to everyone. To promote and live up to our ideal of technology democratization, MediaTek strives constantly to meet consumers’ demands. We have exclusive stores on leading e-commerce portals Flipkart and Amazon and are connecting to more than 70% of India’s population to give them the opportunity to access the latest technology. We constantly take consumer feedback into account and take steps to make the chipset better. Globally, digital innovations are changing the way people live and we are striving to meet this demand, in terms of speed, quality, safety, and security. Through our chipsets, we are keen on making 5G accessible to the end-users so that they can draw the full benefit of this innovation.

MediaTek recently expanded its gaming-focused Helio G series chipsets with the addition of Helio G90 and G90T. These chipsets are designed exclusively to propel incredible smartphone gaming experiences.

Voice&Data: India is a vibrant market for MediaTek. With so much demand for advanced computing and devices that support high-end gaming, how is MediaTek positioned to meet the demand in India?

Anku Jain: Globally, gaming is gaining mileage as an industry and several smartphone makers are developing technologically advanced devices that support high-end gaming. MediaTek is consistently working on bringing seamless gaming experiences through dedicated chipsets that provide optimal results to Indian gaming enthusiasts.

MediaTek recently expanded its gaming-focused Helio G series chipsets with the addition of Helio G90 and G90T. These chipsets are designed exclusively to propel incredible smartphone gaming experiences. The Helio G90 Series combines the latest CPU and GPU cores with ultra-fast memory and massive AI performance to deliver fast, fluid action. And for even more gaming power, the MediaTek Helio G90 series is paired with MediaTek’s HyperEngine game technology that tunes your entire smartphone for the greatest gaming experience possible.

Considering the mobile gaming market is booming in India and smartphone makers are keen on delivering the best game-play experience to consumers and gaming fans, MediaTek is at the forefront with our combination of hardware and software - delivering high performance, unrivaled image quality, uninterrupted connectivity, and smooth responsive action even in the most demanding games.

With the objective to enhance its global customer profile, including India, MediaTek is actively looking at diversifying its operations in the country beyond mobile communications.

Voice&Data: MediaTek houses a strong R&D team in India. How is the team advancing in its findings and what impact will that have in the Indian mobile device market?

Anku Jain: MediaTek has two major R&D facilities in India - situated in Noida and Bengaluru. We have helped many Indian mobile phone manufacturers to develop affordable, feature-rich devices. With the objective to enhance its global customer profile, including India, MediaTek is actively looking at diversifying its operations in the country beyond mobile communications, by enhancing its connectivity and home entertainment segments.

The Bengaluru center works in collaboration with other globally located R&D facilities of MediaTek to design solutions that combine hardware, software, and services to deliver a seamless cross-platform experience to consumers. With a strong understanding of the thriving integrated circuit (IC) design industry, the R&D center is working to develop exciting new products and applications, enabling India to harness growth opportunities in emerging technologies, such as LTE.

Voice&Data: A number of leading mobile device manufacturers use MediaTek's chipset. Among them which manufacturer's association do you feel has propelled the company's business? Why? What are the future plans in this regard?

Anku Jain: Every mobile manufacturer associated with MediaTek has helped in the growth of our business. We believe that consumers are looking for feature-rich devices that push against the concept of what a smartphone is supposed to do. MediaTek is consistently engaged in pushing the boundaries and bringing the New Premium to life with high-end features at a mid-range price, ensuring that everyone can enjoy the benefits of technology.

We offer a variety of features for improved user experience, like reliable, world-wide connectivity, faster charging and increased battery life, captivating displays, better photos and video, brilliant audio-visual experiences on-the-go and incredible AI. MediaTek powered smartphones are preferred by consumers across the spectrum as we work to make sure that our technology reaches the maximum number of people. We look forward to powering new premium smartphone experiences for our customers going ahead and collaborating with device makers who are keen on going the extra mile.

MediaTek expects 5G to be the next monumental leap for carriers, device makers and consumers, an opportunity to innovate and experience information in entirely new ways.

Voice&Data: Undoubtedly, MediaTek has made large strides in 5G chipset development. Can you share MediaTek's journey along with the 5G development and what is the future outlook?

Anku Jain: MediaTek has taken a leadership role in driving the rollout of 5G to the mass market across mobile, home and auto markets. We are active in the development of 5G technology, participating in the standardization of the full 5G feature set, and collaborating with industry leaders to establish a 5G industry ecosystem.

The mobile revolution began with the inception of 2G and 3G technology and developed in a limited manner under 4G speeds. MediaTek expects 5G to be the next monumental leap for carriers, device makers and consumers, an opportunity to innovate and experience information in entirely new ways. 5G is a measure of what can be achieved when barriers between mobile, home and auto disappear and the internet is simply the internet.

MediaTek is at the forefront of powering 5G with its advanced chipset and modem technology. Our 5G SoC is the world’s first integrated 5G mobile chipset.  The technology will change markets and industries. We are working on bringing 5G connectivity to consumers sooner by targeting the sub-6GHz frequency band which is ideal for the Indian landscape. We are collaborating with leading cellular operators, equipment makers, and suppliers to verify the market readiness of 5G technologies and make it accessible. We are committed to making high-speed connectivity truly accessible as we help connect the next billions of people and devices, continuing our New Premium promise.

We expect Dell and HP to offer the first laptops powered by Intel and MediaTek’s 5G solution and the first rollout of devices is expected in early 2021.

Voice&Data: MediaTek recently announced its partnership with Intel to bring its new 5G modem to PCs. What is your comment on 5G in laptops as a future and the partnership with Intel?

Anku Jain: Through the partnership, Intel has been working with MediaTek on the 5G solution for deployment in key consumer and commercial laptop segments. Partnering with Intel on 5G solution, MediaTek’s new 5G modem will power PCs and will be deployed in key consumer and commercial laptop segments. We are working on developing the 5G modem and collaborating with our associates to design and manufacture the solution. We expect Dell and HP to offer the first laptops powered by Intel and MediaTek’s 5G solution and the first rollout of devices is expected in early 2021.

The first Dimensity powered devices will start hitting the market in Q1 of 2020.

Voice&Data: MediaTek’s Dimensity 1000 SoC is very popular. Can you elaborate on its features?

Anku Jain: Dimensity is MediaTek’s family of powerful 5G system-on-chips (SoCs) offering an unrivaled combination of connectivity, multimedia, AI and imaging innovations for premium and flagship smartphones. The chipsets bring smart and fast together to power the world’s most capable 5G devices. Dimensity represents a step toward a new era of mobility – the fifth dimension – to spur industry innovation and let consumers unlock the possibilities of 5G connectivity. The Dimensity series integrates MediaTek’s 5G modem in one compact design, delivering significant power savings compared to competing solutions.

Dimensity 1000 SoC is also MediaTek’s first 5G mobile SoC in its 5G family of chipsets representing a step towards a new era of next-gen mobility - the 5th dimension and has an impressive AnTuTu score of over 511k, making it currently the world’s fastest smartphone chip. The single 5G chip solution, with its integrated 5G modem, is a brilliant combination of advanced technologies packed into a 7nm chip and tuned for 5G performance.

The Dimensity 1000 5G SoC supports 5G two carrier aggregation (2CC CA) and boasts the world’s fastest throughput SoC with 4.7Gbps downlink and 2.5Gbps uplink speeds over sub-6GHz networks. The chipset is designed to support stand-alone and non-standalone (SA/NSA) sub-6GHz networks and includes multi-mode support for every cellular connectivity generation from 2G to 5G. The first Dimensity powered devices will start hitting the market in Q1 of 2020.

Voice&Data: MediaTek has also emerged as the world’s most successful digital TV chipset provider. How has this technology been leveraged?

Anku Jain: MediaTek S900 is the industry’s first 8K digital TV SoC which helped MediaTek emerge as the world’s number one digital TV chipset provider, powering more than 90% of branded smart TVs globally.

MediaTek’s S900 8K smart TV SoC integrates a proprietary AI processor unit enabling AI picture quality (AI PQ) and MiraVision-Pro, supporting a variety of AI features for smart TVs, including facial recognition and AI scene recognition enabling S900-powered TVs to fundamentally improve picture quality by optimizing color saturation, brightness, sharpness, and dynamic motion compensation.

Powered by AI, the MediaTek S900 enables televisions to serve as a control hub for an AIoT ecosystem with MediaTek’s NeuroPilot AI development platform, which enables control of smart devices in the living room, kitchen, bedroom and more through voice or gesture control, addressing the common pain points of consumers.

The S900 has already entered mass production and is expected to reach the consumer market by early 2020.

Voice&Data: MediaTek also empowers smart cities, smart homes and other connected technology applications based on Open Standards. Can you elaborate on this?

Anku Jain: MediaTek i700 platform addresses the need for new cutting-edge IoT applications required in smart homes, cities, and manufacturing among others. New Rich IoT Program is MediaTek’s effort to accelerate the design of smart connected devices based on Open Standards. The program delivers a series of AI-enabled chipset platforms to companies that want to innovate and develop products across the intelligent devices market. 

Compatible with Google’s Android Neural Networks API, MediaTek’s i700 provides an open platform for customers and device manufacturers to take full advantage of common industry frameworks including TensorFlow, TF Lite, Caffe and Caffe2 when developing new applications. The biggest benefit of an Open Standard is the lower total costs (TOC) and then there is flexibility on Interoperability, vendor neutrality, flexibility, the freedom to optimize, resilience, enhanced durability, and quality. The i700 offers a platform based on open and industry-standard software and hardware and is founded on MediaTek’s commercially proven chipsets that power most voice, smart speaker, display-centric and AI-infused devices available globally.