Chipmakers are expected to showcase their new-generation chip solutions for AI and 5G applications at the upcoming Mobile World Congress (MWC) trade fair, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) being their major foundry partner thanks to the competitiveness of its EUV-based process technology, according to industry sources.

Huawei's HiSilicon, Qualcomm, Intel, MediaTek and Broadcom are all looking to line up their new products for handsets and mobile base stations, and other applications built on AI and 5G technologies at the 2019 MWC that kicks off on February 25.

Qualcomm is set to present its flagship Snapdragon 855 series mobile SoC that will power a number of new 5G smartphones slated for launch this year. Qualcomm will also showcase its Snapdragon X55 5G modem at the trade exhibition in Barcelona. Both chip solutions are reportedly manufactured using TSMC's 7nm FinFET process technology.

Huawei is expected to introduce its new Balong 5000 series smartphone equipped with 5G baseband developed by HiSilicon during the trade show next week, while MediaTek's lineup will include its Helio M70 and other 5G chip solutions, the sources said. HiSilicon and MediaTek both partner with TSMC to manufacture their advanced 7nm products, the sources said.

Meanwhile, 5G models presented by major smartphone vendors at the event will also highlight the currently available 7nm SoCs powering the devices, with TSMC being the major fabricator for those chip developers, the sources indicated.

In addition, TSMC has obtained 7nm chip orders for 5G related applications including HPC and IoT from AMD, Nvidia, Xilinx, NXP, OmniVision and TI, the sources added. TSMC is expected to secure the first 5nm chip orders from Apple for the 2020 iPhones, the sources continued.

TSMC expressed previously optimism about its performance in 2020 and 2021, when 5G and other emerging technologies mature. Despite its dim business and industry outlook this year, TSMC claimed it is making progress in the development of sub-7nm process technologies with plans to move a newer 5nm EUV process to volume production by 2020 well on track.

By: DocMemory
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