The Indian unit of Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company, MediaTek, has announced that two of its latest System-on-Chip (SoC) solutions will now be available for electronics manufacturers in the country. The MT2511 and the MT2523 were both announced earlier this year, and while the former is MediaTek’s first bio-sensing analog front-end (AFE) chip designed specifically for health and fitness devices, the latter will be used to power smartwatches, and is being marketed by the Taiwanese firm as the “World’s first full-feature wearable chipset” that offers GPS, dual-mode Bluetooth Low Energy and a MIPI-supported high-resolution mobile screen, all in a compact system-in-package (SiP) that MediaTek claims is more efficient and user-friendly than similar chips from its competitors. According to reports, devices powered by the two chipsets will be available for purchase from early 2017.
Over the past couple of decades, MediaTek has come a long way from being a small-time chipmaker for DVD players, televisions and other electronic devices to one of the largest semiconductor companies in the world alongside the likes of Intel, Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Texas Instruments, etc. While the company is still struggling to get widespread acceptance outside China, its affordable high-performance chips have often been credited for the massive success of the indigenous smartphone industry in the People’s Republic over the past several years. However, in recent years, the company has been looking to grow its business beyond the confines of the world’s largest smartphone market, and towards that end, has been focusing on other emerging markets like India to continue its growth trajectory. Earlier this year, the company even announced that it expects the country to account for up to 10% of all its shipments this year, thanks largely to the growing popularity of VoLTE-enabled handsets in the country.
With the launch of the new chips designed specifically for IoT products, MediaTek will be hoping that it can emerge as a strong contender in India, just like it has done in China over the years. As for the launch itself, the following statement was released by Mr. Kuldeep Malik, MediaTek India’s Country Head, Corporate Sales International: “MediaTek has always focused on combining power with efficiency and we are leading the charge in bringing this know-how to IoT products in India”. It remains to be seen if the company can someday enjoy the same sort of market share in India as it does in China, but the company is certainly leaving no stone unturned to make that dream a reality.