Taiwan's makers of RF and PA devices hope MediaTek can lead the local supply chain to meet competition from Qualcomm in tapping the mmWave 5G market, according to industry sources.
Qualcomm now mainly uses silicon-based CMOS for the production of its mmWave 5G PA devices at 12-inch wafer fabs, and also offers comprehensive 5G core chips and diverse chip solutions. But it charges royalty payments from networking supply chain suppliers, making their production costs stay relatively high, the sources said.
Accordingly, Taiwanese makers of compound semiconductors seeking to enter the mmWave 5G market expect MediaTRek to roll out more chip products with high price-performance ratios for applications in small cells and CPE (customer-premises equipment) devices, apart from handsets, the sources said.
The sources continued that mmWave 5G PAs made of second-generation semiconductors GaAs and InP or third-generation GaN-on-SiC are superior to those made of silicon-based CMOS, and can be incorporated into RF modules for mobile devices and 5G small cells.
Actually, MediaTek is also moving aggressively to expand its presence in the 5G PA market after its re-invested Vanchip Technologies has performed well in the 4G PA and Wi-Fi 5/6 PA segments. The move coincides with the expectation by local compound semiconductor makers that MediaTek can leverage its prowess in 5G core chips solutions to help them venture into the mmWave 5G market, the sources said.
MediaTek has sustained close partnership with GaAs foundry Win Semiconductors in developing and producing chips solutions for handset, CPE and base station applications, the sources said, adding that Taiwan's leading chipmaker will require more solid backend support from OSATs including ASE Technology, Chipbond Technology and ShunSin Technology, as well as test interface specialists such as Chunghwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT).
Article translated by Willis Ke
