Taiwan-based chip manufacturer MediaTek and American chip giant NVIDIA are reportedly set to collaborate on the development of a 3nm AI PC chip, due to begin tape-out this month and enter mass production in the second half of 2025, according to a leak by Chinese tech influencer @MobileChipExpert. The new chip will integrate a NVIDIA GPU (graphics processing unit), and will likely be adopted by major PC manufacturers such as Lenovo, Dell, HP, and ASUS.
Why it matters: The AI PC chip merges MediaTek’s advanced 3nm chip design with NVIDIA’s leading GPU technology. The expected adoption by leading PC manufacturers indicates a significant step in AI-driven computing, impacting both consumer and global markets.
Details: The AI PC chip will mark the first collaboration between NVIDIA and MediaTek in the PC processor sector. Previously, the two companies have only worked together in the automotive chip field.
- Although full specifications for the AI PC chip are not yet confirmed, tech media outlet Wccftech suggested that it will use TSMC’s 3nm process based on ARM architecture. NVIDIA will integrate its next-gen iGPU to elevate the standards of its upcoming SoC (system-on-a-chip), the report said.
- Taiwanese media outlet Economic Daily News previously reported that MediaTek’s AI PC chip will be manufactured using TSMC’s 3nm process, with tape-out expected to be completed in the third quarter. Mass production is planned for 2025, with each chip to cost as much as $300.
- Industry analysts are also optimistic about the collaboration between MediaTek and NVIDIA, as both parties leverage their respective strengths, according to the same report from Economic Daily News. The combination of NVIDIA’s powerful gaming graphics processors and AI GPUs with MediaTek’s design capabilities for ARM architecture processors is expected to shorten processor development time and result in a generation of high-efficiency, lightweight AI PC processors.
Context：Last year, MediaTek and NVIDIA announced their partnership to create the Dimensity Auto Cockpit platform, an automotive SoC that licenses NVIDIA’s graphics technology and NVIDIA Drive OS. The processor integrates NVIDIA’s graphics and AI computing capabilities while also utilizing its related software tools, such as the autonomous driving software DRIVE OS, DRIVE IX, CUDA, and TensorRT.
- In the second quarter of 2024, shipments of AI PCs reached 8.8 million units, accounting for 14% of total PC shipments, according to market research firm Canalys. The company forecast that the global market is expected to ship around 44 million AI-capable PCs in 2024 and 103 million units in 2025.
