MediaTek creates the first 3nm smartphone processor, defeating Qualcomm and Samsung

Using the 3nm semiconductor chip fabrication method used by TSMC, MediaTek claimed to have successfully produced a flagship smartphone processor. It is unquestionably astonishing that the Taiwanese company has officially become the first company in the world to launch a 3nm smartphone processor.

The company has not shared the details and specs of the new chipset, but it claims that it could be used in flagship products like tablets and smartphones. The mass production of the 3nm Dimensity chip is expected to begin next year. From this perspective, smartphones featuring the 3nm chipset might debut in H2 2024. TSMC and MediaTek have been in close association for quite some time. Most of MediaTek’s Dimensity chips are fabricated by TSMC.

According to the company, the chips based on TSMC’s 3nm process nodes are 18% more efficient in performance. They reduce power consumption by 32% at the same rate as the 5nm chips. Interestingly, the 3nm process node by TSMC offers 60% enhanced logic density. These characteristics, combined with ARM’s new CPU and GPU cores, offer a boost from the recent chipsets used in flagship smartphones provided by Samsung, Qualcomm, and MediaTek.

Samsung Galaxy S25 series might utilize a 3nm chip

Although MediaTek holds the record for first announcing a 3nm chip, Apple might be the first company to ship 3nm chips. The upcoming iPhone 15 series by Apple will debut with a 3nm A17 series processor. Furthermore, Qualcomm and Samsung might debut their first 3mn chips by the end of next year. Devices based on this chipset might debut in early 2025. In addition to this, the South Korean tech giant Samsung is reportedly working on a dream Exynos chip. It features a 3nm design and an improved AMD RDNA-based Xclipse GPU. Reportedly, the company will use these in the Galaxy S25 series.