MediaTek is now backing both TSMC and Intel for advanced chip packaging, positioning itself as a rare neutral player in the AI silicon arms race. The Taiwan-based chip designer confirmed Friday it supports TSMC's CoWoS (Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate) and Intel's EMIB (Embedded Multi-die Interconnect Bridge) technologies, letting customers pick their packaging approach. "We're one of the few custom silicon providers that support both," Senior Vice President Vince Hu told reporters in Taipei. The announcement carries weight beyond packaging specs. Intel's EMIB technology is being considered for custom AI chips MediaTek is designing for Alphabet's Google, according to two people familiar with the matter.
MediaTek has not publicly named Google as a custom chip client and declined to comment on whether EMIB would be used for Google's chips.
CoWoS is TSMC's dominant packaging technology, widely used for Nvidia's AI accelerators. Intel's EMIB is its direct competitor. By supporting both, MediaTek gives customers a choice between the established leader and Intel's foundry push. The move signals MediaTek's aggressive expansion beyond mobile chips into custom AI silicon. The company doubled its 2026 data center revenue forecast to $2 billion.
It estimates the total addressable market for custom AI Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) will hit $70 billion to $80 billion in 2027 and targets a 10% to 15% share of that market.
MediaTek also disclosed it has multiple test chips running on TSMC's A14 process, the chipmaker's next-generation manufacturing node expected to enter volume production in 2028. The company plans to use TSMC's Arizona fabs for chips built on 4-nanometre and 3-nanometre technologies. The dual-packaging strategy gives MediaTek use with both suppliers while opening doors for Intel's foundry business, which has been working to secure major customers for its advanced packaging services.
