MediaTek unveiled the Dimensity 9600 Pro and 9600M, built on TSMC's 2‑nm and 3‑nm processes, boosting on‑device AI capabilities for flagship smartphones.

MediaTek announced the next generation of its flagship mobile processors, the Dimensity 9600 Pro and Dimensity 9600 M, built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s cutting‑edge 2‑nm and 3‑nm process nodes. The new chips promise a substantial lift in on‑device artificial‑intelligence performance, positioning MediaTek to compete more aggressively in the high‑end smartphone market.

Advanced manufacturing partnership

The Dimensity 9600 Pro is fabricated on TSMC’s 2‑nm N2 platform, while the Dimensity 9600 M uses the 3‑nm N3 technology. Both processes deliver higher transistor density, lower power consumption and improved thermal efficiency compared with the 4‑nm node used in MediaTek’s previous flagship chips.

MediaTek highlighted that the partnership with TSMC enables the company to integrate more AI‑specific accelerators directly onto the SoC, reducing latency for tasks such as real‑time image enhancement, voice recognition and on‑device inference.

Performance and AI enhancements

According to MediaTek, the Dimensity 9600 Pro offers up to a 30% increase in AI compute throughput over the prior generation, while maintaining a similar power envelope. The chip also supports up to 12 GB of LPDDR5X memory and a new X‑Band 5G modem that can handle peak download speeds of 10 Gbps.

The Dimensity 9600 M, aimed at premium mid‑range devices, delivers comparable AI performance on a 3‑nm process, offering a balance of cost efficiency and power savings for manufacturers targeting a broader market segment.

Implications for the smartphone ecosystem

Analysts expect the new MediaTek chips to accelerate the adoption of AI‑driven features in flagship and upper‑midrange phones, potentially narrowing the gap with competitors that have traditionally dominated the high‑end segment.

  • Enhanced on‑device AI for photography and video
  • Improved battery life thanks to lower power consumption
  • Support for advanced 5G features and higher bandwidth
  • Greater integration of AI accelerators reduces reliance on cloud processing

Manufacturers that adopt the Dimensity 9600 series could launch devices with more sophisticated AI capabilities without compromising on battery life, a key selling point for consumers increasingly reliant on mobile photography and virtual assistants.

MediaTek’s new SoCs mark a pivotal step toward truly on‑device AI, delivering performance that was previously only achievable with larger, power‑hungry processors.

The launch underscores MediaTek’s strategy to move up the value chain and challenge incumbents in the premium smartphone arena, leveraging TSMC’s most advanced manufacturing technologies to do so.

Reuters coverage of MediaTek’s new mobile chip launch