MediaTek to launch fast 6 nm ARM-based processors for inexpensive Chromebooks in 2021

Associated Press reports that that the Chromebook market has seen considerable growth this year due to the pandemic, especially in the SEA territories. Chromebooks are usually equipped with entry-level components that allow for low production costs, but, in recent years, more and more OEMs have been trying to make premium Chromebooks with beefier specs a thing. The premium nature also raises the price points by quite a significant margin, yet MediaTek now plans to combat this situation with the release of faster Chromebook processors that are also inexpensive to produce.

At the latest Taiwan Education Digital Transformation conference attended by Quanta, Acer, MediaTek and Google Taiwan, the senior vice president of MediaTek announced that it will continue to improve all of its Chromebook-related IPs in order to support the increasing demand for inexpensive laptops in 2021 and beyond. MediaTek previously released SoCs specifically designed for Chromebooks like the 28 nm MT8173C model or the 12 nm MT8183 model launched throughout the last 4 years, and the lineup will be expanded with a new 6 nm MT8195 model manufactured by TSMC scheduled to launch in 2021.

Unfortunately, MediaTek’s senior vice president did not focus on exact specs for the new 6 nm SoC, but he did mention that it will include powerful AI features and will be similar to the upcoming self-developed ARM-based mobile processors from Apple that are expected to launch with next year’s MacBooks. MediaTek’s senior vice president also mentioned integration with Wi-Fi 6 and alluded to 5G connectivity when talking about the demand for fast video streaming and video conferencing.