In a keynote titled “AI For Life: From Edge to Cloud,” company executives, including President Joe Chen, focused on how MediaTek sees AI moving fluidly between personal devices, vehicles, networks and the cloud. The messaging was ambitious, but the demos offered a closer look at how that vision might translate into real silicon.
6G with AI baked in
One of the biggest talking points was MediaTek’s ongoing 6G work. The company demonstrated what it called the world’s first 6G radio interoperability setup, aimed at showing how throughput, latency and power can be balanced dynamically, especially as generative and agentic AI services begin to demand more from networks.
A notable concept here is the idea of a “personal device cloud,” where AI agents collaborate across phones, home devices and other endpoints over Wi-Fi or future 6G networks. It is early-stage, but it hints at a future where compute is less about a single device and more about coordinated intelligence across several.
MediaTek also showed AI-accelerated uplink transmit diversity for 6G. Instead of relying purely on rule-based radio optimisation, the system adapts to changing network conditions using AI models. The company argues this can significantly improve efficiency and performance compared to traditional approaches.
There were also demonstrations around robotics powered by edge computing over 6G, suggesting a use case beyond phones and laptops.
5G-Advanced CPE meets Wi-Fi 8
On the more immediate connectivity front, MediaTek introduced what it described as the first 5G-Advanced CPE device paired with Wi-Fi 8. The system is powered by the T930 modem and Filogic 8000 series chipsets.
The hardware supports 3GPP Release 18 and features eight receive antennas, which MediaTek claims improves spectrum efficiency by over 40 per cent. On the uplink side, three transmit antennas with five MIMO layers are designed to boost throughput.
The more interesting layer, however, is the AI network engine. It integrates AI L4S and AI-based QoS to reduce latency, reportedly up to ten times lower for certain applications. Crucially, it does this without requiring changes to application backends or core network infrastructure, which, if validated in real-world deployments, could make adoption simpler for operators.
Automotive goes beyond terrestrial networks
Automotive was another major focus. MediaTek demonstrated a 5G NR NTN video call in a car environment, highlighting satellite-based connectivity for areas outside traditional terrestrial coverage. NR NTN is positioned as enabling high-speed satellite communications that can handle video streaming and general internet use.
The company also unveiled a new telematics chipset supporting 5G-Advanced Release 17 and 18 standards, with integrated AI at the modem level to improve stability.
Inside the cabin, MediaTek’s Dimensity Auto smart cockpit platform is now built on a 3nm automotive-grade process. Based on Arm v9.2 architecture, it includes a multi-core CPU, a GPU capable of ray tracing for console-level gaming and a dedicated NPU for generative AI voice assistants. The emphasis here was on performance without compromising data privacy, with AI tasks handled locally where possible.
Flagship mobile AI and AI glasses
In smartphones, MediaTek continues to lean on its Dimensity 9500 platform. The focus this year was less about raw performance and more about edge AI. The integrated NPU is designed to enable private, responsive on-device AI processing rather than constant reliance on the cloud.
One of the more experimental demos was a pair of AI glasses designed to work closely with a smartphone. Powered by the Dimensity 9500’s NPU and an in-house multimodal large model, the glasses support text, image, speech and video interaction on-device. The key pitch is instant response with stronger privacy, though real-world performance will determine how compelling this becomes.
A push into data centre infrastructure
Perhaps the most surprising part of the showcase was MediaTek’s data centre strategy. The company unveiled a new in-house UCIe-Advanced IP for die-to-die connectivity, silicon-validated on advanced 2nm and 3nm process technologies. The interconnect targets high bandwidth densities, reaching up to 10 terabits per second per millimetre of die edge.
It also demonstrated a co-packaged optics solution aimed at reducing reliance on traditional copper interconnects. With bandwidth speeds of up to 400 gigabits per second per fibre, the focus is on improving energy efficiency and overall system integration.
Instead of emphasising raw TOPS, MediaTek framed its data centre metrics around tokens per watt and tokens per dollar at the rack level, aligning its pitch with how AI workloads are increasingly evaluated in production environments.
Beyond phones
Other demos included high-performance compute capabilities on NVIDIA’s DGX Spark system featuring the GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, co-designed with MediaTek, as well as AI features for Chromebooks powered by the Kompanio Ultra platform. The company also showcased IoT developments, including an AI interpreter hub.
Overall, MediaTek’s MWC 2026 presence was less about a single headline product and more about ecosystem positioning. From 6G research and AI-driven CPE to automotive satellite connectivity and data centre interconnects, the company is signalling that it wants to compete across the full stack, from edge devices to cloud infrastructure.
Whether all of these bets translate into market leadership remains to be seen. But the breadth of what MediaTek showed this year suggests it is preparing for a future where connectivity and AI are inseparable, and where the edge is just as important as the cloud.
In conversation with ET, Rahul Sandil, VP and General Manager, Global Marketing and Communications, MediaTek, underscored that the company’s recent gains are rooted in sustained structural growth rather than short-term momentum. He pointed out that MediaTek has, for the first time, achieved 38% global smartphone SoC market share by unit, establishing a double-digit lead over its nearest competitor. More notably, this leadership has been maintained for 22 consecutive financial quarters, reinforcing that the performance is consistent and not cyclical.
He also highlighted the rapid expansion in the flagship segment, noting that MediaTek delivered $3 billion in flagship smartphone revenue in 2025, compared to virtually zero just three to four years ago. According to Sandil, scaling premium revenue while continuing overall smartphone growth reflects both strong product execution and deeper OEM collaboration.
On India, he described the market as strategically critical, with smartphones remaining a core pillar but automotive and IoT emerging as immediate growth drivers. As EV adoption accelerates, MediaTek aims to strengthen its cockpit technology leadership and expand into ADAS solutions. He added that AI at the edge will be central to this push, with demonstrations already showcasing 4K image generation running fully on-device without internet access, a move aligned with growing privacy and security expectations in markets like India.
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