Ahead of MediaTek’s official launch of Dimensity 9400, which takes place on October 9^th, rumors have been circulating that Samsung may feature the chip in its Galaxy S25 next year. Now the first smartphone equipped with the chip has surfaced. According to the reports by Gizmochina, Wccftech and mydrivers, Vivo X200 series will reportedly be the first smartphone powered by the Dimensity 9400 chipset.

It is worth noting that Dimensity 9400 will be reportedly be manufactured with TSMC’s 3nm, according to Wccftech. This will also mark the first 3nm chip in the Android ecosystem, mydriver notes.

For more details, Vivo is anticipated to unveil the Vivo X200 series on October 14th, which includes the Vivo X200, Vivo X200 Pro Mini, and Vivo X200 Pro. According to Gizmochina, all the models will be powered by Dimensity 9400.

Dimensity 9400, by introducing the Arm Cortex-X925 super-large core, is said to offer a 36% performance increase and a 41% improvement in AI performance if compared to Cortex-X4, Gizmochina notes.

While MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 is said to excel in performance, there have been rumors suggesting that the unit price of the SoC has increased by 20%, which could force smartphone manufacturers to adjust the prices of their flagship models, Wccftech notes.

However, as the start price of X200, which is the base model of Vivo’s latest lineup, has been revealed to be 3,999 Yuan (around USD 570) per unit, the aforementioned concern has been eased, Wccftech indicates.

Recent reports indicate that MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 is priced 20% lower than Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, which enhance the likelihood for Samsung to adopt the chip in its upcoming S25 to reduce the cost.

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• [News] MediaTek Ventures into AI Accelerators, Aiming to Release Dimensity 9400 in October
• [News] MediaTek Sets Dimensity 9400 Launch Date, Ahead of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4

(Photo credit: Vivo)

For Intel, last week was like a roller coaster. On Monday, the company settled down plans for restructuring after the board meeting. On Friday, however, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg, it turns out that Qualcomm has reportedly reached out to Intel regarding a potential acquisition offer, which would rank as one of the largest-ever technology mergers if the deal were to take place.

Should Qualcomm take over Intel, the mega deal may have limited impact on TSMC, the world’s largest foundry. However, Taiwanese smartphone chip giant MediaTek would be more heavily impacted, according to Taiwanese media the Economic Daily News and Commercial Times.

Citing domestic and foreign institutional investors, the Economic Daily News notes that regarding that the Broadcom-Qualcomm saga came to an abrupt end in 2018, the likelihood of the Qualcomm-Intel deal to realize might be low. However, if the acquisition does go through, it could create certain impact on Taiwanese manufacturers.

Citing remarks from Hong Kong-based and foreign semiconductor analysts, the report by the Economic Daily News points out that Intel’s weakness in its foundry unit would be its fatal flaw. With Intel’s yield rates and performance in the advanced nodes lagging behind TSMC, even if Qualcomm successfully acquires Intel, it is expected that Qualcomm would not reclaim the orders currently outsourced to TSMC, indicating the impact to the Taiwan-based foundry giant would be minimal.

Furthermore, the report suggests that from Qualcomm’s perspective, the more logical scenario would be to acquire only Intel’s chip design business. However, from Intel’s standpoint, they would prefer to sell the entire company as a package. Thus, the analysts cited by the report project that Qualcomm is more likely to spin off Intel’s chip manufacturing business and sell it to a U.S. private equity firm after the acquisition.

Actually, in early September, a report by Reuters suggests that Qualcomm, known for its Snapdragon processors used in smartphones, had investigated the possibility of acquiring parts of Intel’s design business to enhance its product portfolio, and was particularly interested in Intel’s PC business.

On the other hand, the story may be different for Taiwanese chip makers. A report by the Commercial Times notes that the acquisition could create pressure on MediaTek, which is Qualcomm’s main rival, as it may face even fiercer competition in sectors like AI PCs and automotive platforms, of which the Taiwanese smartphone chip giant is expected to launch new products next year.

In addition, the takeover would also have negative impact on AMD’s supply chain in Taiwan, including companies like ASMedia, which specializes in high-speed Switch IC, USB, PCIe and SATA controllers, Commercial Times indicates.

It is worth noting that the potential deal would face significant challenges, particularly with antitrust and national security concerns, a report by CNBC notes. For instance, Intel’s recent attempt to acquire Tower Semiconductor and Qualcomm’s bid for NXP Semiconductor were both blocked by Chinese authorities, the report says.

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• [News] Qualcomm Rumored to Consider Acquiring Parts of Intel’s Chip Design Business, with a Focus on PC Segment
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(Photo credit: Qualcomm)

According to a report from South Korean media outlet HankYung, Samsung plans to unveil its next-generation flagship Galaxy S25 series in January 2025, including the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and the top-tier Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Contrary to earlier rumors of a dual-processor strategy which offers different versions with either Exynos 2500 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 4, Samsung is reportedly equipping the entire S25 series with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 processor.

The report highlights that this shift is driven by Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16, which is being promoted as the first AI-centric smartphone, placing Samsung at a pivotal moment in the competition for AI smartphone leadership.

Given that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 boasts over a 30% improvement in AI performance compared to its predecessor and slightly outperforms the Exynos 2500, Samsung has opted to play it safe by adopting the latest Snapdragon chip, ensuring the S25 series to maximize its AI capabilities.

Previous rumors had also suggested that Samsung considered implementing a three-way strategy for its 2025 S25 series, which would have included MediaTek’s Dimensity chipset alongside Qualcomm’s Snapdragon.

As per a report from SamMobile, Samsung’s strategy to include multiple chipset suppliers was intended to prevent over-reliance on Qualcomm, which could limit their ability to negotiate lower prices.

However, a previous report by SamMobile points out that, since MediaTek’s Dimensity chips have traditionally only been used in Samsung’s mid-to-low-end devices, integrating them into the premium S series would have presented a significant challenge in terms of market acceptance.

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• [News] Samsung Rumored to Adopt MediaTek’s Dimensity 9400 in Galaxy S25
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(Photo credit: Samsung)

In early August, Taiwanese IC design giant MediaTek revealed its plan to unveil the Dimensity 9400 flagship series in October, designed to support most large language models on the market. Now more details regarding MediaTek’s ambition in AI have surfaced, as reports from Wccftech and Chinese media MyDrivers note that the company teams up with NVIDIA, targeting to launch their AI PC chip in the first half of 2025.

The reports indicate that the chip is currently in the design phase, with verification and sampling anticipated next quarter.

TrendForce projects that the Arm chip co-developed by MediaTek and NVIDIA, with adoption of Wi-Fi 7 and 5G, is slated to occupy a spot in the AI NB market since 2Q25, and initiate a new wave of technical innovation after 2025.

According to Wccftech, rumors about a custom chip from MediaTek for the AI PC market have been circulating for a while, and the excitement of the market skyrocketed when NVIDIA is reportedly joining the development.

The AI PC SoC is said to confront Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite series. Wccftech suggests that the chip will be manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm node, based on ARM architecture.

With AI giant NVIDIA involved, the SoC is also likely to achieve breakthroughs in the integrated graphics arena, the report says. In addition, the report also notes that given MediaTek’s expertise in creating power-efficient mobile chips like the Dimensity 9400, the company may be well-equipped to develop a chip for the AI PC segment that delivers both strong performance and impressive efficiency.

MediaTek and NVIDIA are also collaborating on automotive chips, with plans to launch their first chip in early 2025. MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai mentioned earlier that though details are yet to be disclosed, significant advancements in the automotive sector are expected between 2027 and 2028.

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• [News] MediaTek Ventures into AI Accelerators, Aiming to Release Dimensity 9400 in October
• Penetration Rate of AI NBs to Arrive at 20% by 2025 as AI Applications Steadily Refine and Actuate Consumer Demand, Says TrendForce 

(Photo credit: MediaTek)

According to a report from Commercial Times, IC design giant MediaTek is making its move into the AI accelerator sector. MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai emphasized that MediaTek aims to be the best partner for edge AI, focusing on advanced technologies and 3nm process to optimize the power consumption and efficiency of its SoCs (system-on-chips).

Tsai mentioned that MediaTek will unveil its Dimensity 9400 flagship series of chips in October, designed to perfectly support most large language models on the market. He expressed confidence in achieving a more than 50% year-over-year revenue increase for flagship devices.

For the ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) market, MediaTek has confirmed its entry into the AI accelerator field and will integrate CPUs as needed. ASICs are expected to start the revenue contribution  in the second half of next year.

Additionally, the TAM (Total Addressable Market) for generative AI is still in its early stages. MediaTek focuses on providing leading interconnect capabilities, such as SerDes IP and Ethernet PHY.

Regarding AI technology in the smartphone sector, Rick Tsai believes that flagship smartphones are seeing an increase in ASP, and there is a gradual shift towards high-end smartphones in the Chinese market. He noted that Chinese brands are actively developing AI, particularly in model development, such as open-source models like LLaMA 3.

At MediaTek’s earnings call on July 31st, Rick Tsai noted that the company anticipates a return to normal seasonal patterns in the second half of the year. The outlook for the fourth quarter will largely depend on consumer product demand.

Regarding the outlook in the third quarter, MediaTek expects the revenue to be flattish, ranging from NTD 123.5 billion to NTD 132.4 billion, compared with NTD 127.27 billion last quarter. Gross margin is projected to slide to 45.5-48.5%, from 48.8%, down 3.6 percentage points quarter over quarter and up 1.3 percentage points year-over-year.

Aside from the boost expected from the Dimensity 9400 flagship release, the company’s fourth-quarter market demand is projected to be relatively moderate, which is why the annual outlook remains unchanged. MediaTek expects its full-year gross margin to be between 46% and 48%.

Regarding TSMC’s pricing adjustments, Rick Tsai remains unperturbed, noting that all industry peers face similar cost pressures. MediaTek aims to reflect cost increases through pricing, with a gross margin target of 47% for new products. Progress has also been made in 3nm and 2nm processes, and MediaTek has secured its capacity needs for 2025 with TSMC.

Moreover, MediaTek and NVIDIA are collaborating on automotive chips, with plans to launch their first chip in early 2025. Rick Tsai mentioned that details are yet to be disclosed, but significant advancements in the automotive sector are expected between 2027 and 2028.

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• [News] MediaTek Reportedly Designing ARM-Based Chips for Microsoft’s AI PCs, Launch Expected by End of Next Year
• [News] MediaTek Reportedly Partners with Meta, Entering the Battleground of AI against Apple and Qualcomm

(Photo credit: MediaTek)