Apple with its M1 chips has shown the way, and now also MediaTek declares itself in the running to make Arm chips for PCs
MediaTek is back in charge, on the one hand making official a few hours ago the Dimensity 9000 ultra-high performance chip, on the other hand identifying another market in which to compete and establish itself. It's the one of Windows PCs, to which the company wants to provide soon chips based on Arm technology as Apple's M1.
The road taken a year ago by Apple with the M1 chip, which has surprised for performance and efficiency on a large number of devices, from iPad Pro to MacBook Pro, has enticed several companies, including MediaTek. The Taiwanese, fresh from the presentation of the top of the range chip for 2022 Dimensity 9000, want to help ensure that the pair Apple chip - Mac can also exist in a Windows environment, and it's not good news for the men of Intel that the competition of computer chips, which also involves AMD, is now joined by a company in great relief as MediaTek.
MediaTek: "We're in on the Arm chips for PCs"
At the Executive Summit in Laguna Beach, California, MediaTek said it was amazed by Apple's M1 chips: "Apple has shown the world that it can be done," said Eric Fisher, vice president of corporate sales and business development at MediaTek. So the company wants to be there and has already confirmed that it will be, putting itself in the running with chips with Arm architecture designed specifically for Windows PCs.
The real question, at this point, is how long it will take, because it seems that MediaTek's project to enter the computer market is still in its early stages. At the event organized by MediaTek in California, during which the company will make a series of announcements, the feeling is that the transition from the x86 architecture of Intel PCs to the Arm of Apple M1 smartphones and chips is inevitable, and MediaTek does not want to miss this opportunity to grow.
When MediaTek chips for PCs arrive
It will take at least a couple of years to see MediaTek in the running for the PC market, but the adventure of Arm chips on computers has just begun, so the feeling is that there's plenty of time. At this moment the Arm chips for Windows are limited to say the least.
There is only Qualcomm, that in the past has tried to transplant on PC the top of the range chip for smartphones Snapdragon 835 with revisable results, and that currently has in range for the purpose the high-end Snapdragon 8cx and the mid-low-end Snapdragon 7c. Around it is the void that has MediaTek gorging itself.
There may be a question of whether and how ready Windows is, and with Microsoft's operating system users, for the transition from x86 to Arm architecture. But that, after all, is another matter. What is interesting for the whole market, because it will be a stimulus to do better for everyone, is that MediaTek has declared itself in the running, and sooner or later will offer computer chips.