MediaTek Launches Dimensity 9600 Pro on TSMC’s 2nm Process With Major AI Upgrade
MediaTek has unveiled its new Dimensity 9600 Pro, bringing TSMC’s advanced 2nm manufacturing technology to its latest flagship smartphone processor. The chip features a new neural processing unit designed for on-device generative AI, with MediaTek reporting a 51% improvement in AI performance compared with its previous generation.
The company has also introduced the Dimensity 9600M, built using TSMC’s 3nm process, as it looks to strengthen its position in the premium smartphone market. The launch comes as smartphone chipmakers increasingly compete on AI capabilities alongside traditional performance and efficiency.
Dimensity 9600 Pro Moves to 2nm
The Dimensity 9600 Pro is MediaTek’s first mobile processor manufactured using TSMC’s 2nm technology. The move to a more advanced process node allows the company to pack greater computing capabilities into the chip while targeting improvements in performance and power efficiency.
The processor is designed for flagship smartphones and is expected to support demanding workloads, including increasingly sophisticated AI applications running directly on devices.
New NPU Targets Generative AI
A major focus of the new chip is its upgraded Neural Processing Unit (NPU). MediaTek says the new NPU delivers a 51% performance improvement over the previous generation for processing user prompts before an AI model generates a response.
This focus reflects the industry's shift toward on-device generative AI, allowing smartphones to handle more AI tasks locally instead of sending every request to the cloud. The approach can also help improve response times and reduce dependence on remote computing for supported applications.
Dimensity 9600M Brings 3nm Technology
Alongside the Pro model, MediaTek has launched the Dimensity 9600M, which uses TSMC’s 3nm manufacturing process. The chip is intended to expand MediaTek’s latest architecture across a wider range of premium devices.
Together, the two processors give MediaTek products aimed at different parts of the high-end smartphone market while maintaining a strong focus on AI processing. The company is competing directly with other major mobile chipmakers seeking to make generative AI a standard feature of flagship phones.
MediaTek Expands Into Data-Center AI
MediaTek’s AI ambitions now extend beyond smartphones. The company is developing AI accelerators and custom chips for data centers, targeting the rapidly growing demand for computing infrastructure needed to run AI services.
MediaTek has said its first AI accelerator for a major US cloud-service provider is expected to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of 2026. The move could give the company a larger role in the AI semiconductor market as demand grows across both consumer devices and large-scale infrastructure.
MediaTek Broadens Its AI Chip Strategy
The Dimensity 9600 Pro launch highlights how semiconductor companies are increasingly designing chips around AI as a core computing requirement. By combining advanced manufacturing with a dedicated NPU, MediaTek is positioning its latest flagship processor for a smartphone market where local AI capabilities are becoming increasingly important.
At the same time, its move into data-center accelerators shows a broader strategy. MediaTek is looking beyond smartphones to capture opportunities across the growing AI hardware market, from on-device intelligence to large-scale AI infrastructure.
