MediaTek has announced plans to launch a new CPU targeted to Chromebooks that will arrive from next year. Named MT8195, the 6nm ARM chipset will focus on cost-effectiveness. It will be similar to the SoC that Apple is preparing to equip the MacBooks scheduled for 2021 as well.
The information came from the company itself, during participation in the Taiwan Educational Digital Transformation conference, held yesterday. The senior vice president of the company announced at the event, jointly organized with Google, Acer and Quanta, that it will continue to improve its portfolio to meet the gradual demand for cheap laptops in 2021 and beyond.
As the statement highlights, especially due to the coronavirus pandemic and the consequent social distance measures, the Chromebook market has grown significantly in recent months. The computers that run Google Chrome OS are usually machines equipped with input components, with low production cost and reduced final value. With the announcement, MediaTek positions itself following this philosophy, proposing to deliver a fast and cheap SoC.
MediaTek’s ARM processor to rival Apple
The company’s executive did not delve into the exact specifications of the MT8195 chipset. However, he said that it would bring powerful artificial intelligence (AI) features and will be similar to Apple’s next ARM-based processors. The senior vice president of MediaTek also mentioned the integration with Wi-Fi 6. And alluded to 5G connectivity when talking about the demand for streaming and videoconferencing. He also revealed that the processor would be manufactured by TSMC.
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The price of Chromebook models may drop thanks to the MT8195. Because Google and MediaTek duo are trying to reduce the production cost of Chromebook signed portable computers. MediaTek hasn’t given any information about the price. However, we will see this processor being used in Chromebook models next year.
Present in several segments, MediaTek cultivates a lasting partnership with Google. The Taiwanese company previously developed chipsets specifically for Chromebooks such as the 28nm MT8173C chip and the 12nm MT8183 model.
