AMD and MediaTek rumored to form joint venture focusing on notebook SoCs

AMD is planning to expand its presence in quite a few markets. The collaboration with Samsung is bringing AMD’s RDNA graphics to smartphone users in 2022 with the Exynos 2200 SoC and the recent Xilinx acquisition should ensure a leading edge over Intel for the datacenter and cloud computing markets in the coming years. Apparently, there is one more big collaboration on the horizon. According to sources close to DigiTimes, AMD is now rumored to upgrade its connections with MediaTek to joint venture status.

In the past year, MediaTek has become the largest smartphone chip producer in the world, but the joint venture with AMD would not primarily focus on combining RDNA graphics with MediaTek SoCs. Instead, Team Red is looking to tap into MediaTek’s wireless connectivity, 5G and high transmission expertise to create new mobile SoC lineups for the notebook market.

ComputerBase.de notes that the two companies are already working together on a smaller scale, as the MediaTek MT7921K Wi-Fi controller is used by AMD under the RZ608 alias in some new notebook models. A joint venture between the two companies could also ensure a stronger MediaTek presence on the notebook market, while AMD would obtain valuable Wi-Fi 6 and 5G chip integration designs for future products. Now, since AMD recently stated that it is ready to provide more custom ARM-based solutions to select customers, most likely to compete with Apple’s M processors, it would not come as a big surprise to eventually see some high-end SoC models combining future MediaTek custom ARM cores with AMD’s RDNA graphics.

DigiTimes estimates that the joint venture is to roll out its first notebook SoCs with integrated Wi-Fi, 5G and wired connectivity by 2024. The two companies have yet to confirm the rumors.

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