While foreign semiconductor companies have grabbed most of the spotlight at Computex 2024, Taiwanese IC design companies, such as MediaTek, Realtek Semiconductor, and Elan Microelectronics, have also made a strong showing at the event, impressing attendees with their latest cutting-edge technologies and innovations.
MediaTek's CEO, Rick Tsai, shared the stage with Nvidia's CEO, Jensen Huang, and Arm's CEO, Rene Haas, during a keynote speech. While MediaTek didn't announce any official joint products with Nvidia, the CEOs' remarks hinted at future collaboration possibilities.
The potential collaboration between MediaTek and Nvidia in AI-powered PCs and automotive platforms has grabbed a lot of attention. Their partnership could extend beyond these areas to include edge devices and cloud computing. Nvidia's Huang highlighted MediaTek's ASIC development strategy, suggesting a possible alliance in the cloud domain.
MediaTek's new product announcements at Computex 2024 may seem relatively modest to the market, mainly new platforms for Chromebooks and TVs. However, the company's showcase at the event revealed a diverse range of innovations, including satellite communication technology and a 3nm automotive platform. Furthermore, MediaTek's demonstration of the MediaTek DaVinci platform, the latest Breexe large language model, and the integration of LoRA technology into mobile devices underscores the company's prowess in generative AI, enabling it to rival many international giants in the field.
Realtek also demonstrated its latest products and technologies at Computex 2024, with its highly anticipated USB4 technology advancements attracting significant attention from show-goers. Its Wi-Fi 7 solutions are also a major focus, with mass shipments expected in the second half of 2024 and a doubling of the penetration rate projected for 2025.
Realtek's Ethernet solutions are another area of significant interest, with the company exhibiting Ethernet products and solutions for automotive and other applications. Particularly noteworthy is a new product specifically designed for the server market, indicating Realtek's readiness to enter this segment. Although Realtek has yet to officially enter the server market, it is believed to have a chance to break into the entry-level server segment in the short term, with potential sales results as early as 2025-2026.
Elan Microelectronics displayed a variety of chip solutions for PC applications at the show. Among them, its most notable products are touchpads and fingerprint sensors, which are increasingly incorporating AI algorithms to meet the evolving design requirements in the AI PC era. Despite Synaptics, Elan's main competitor, also showcasing a variety of similar solutions at the exhibition, Elan remains confident in its ability to compete on both technical and cost fronts.
