The Circuit EP 159: MediaTek and the Evolving Custom ASIC Business, More Memory Pain, and More
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Apr 6, 2026 A deep dive into MediaTek's push from mobile chips into top‑tier custom ASICs and its technical advantages in packaging and IP. A look at persistent memory shortages, shifting wafer allocation toward HBM, and why pricing is driving market growth. Discussion of supply constraints from tungsten to transformers and what that means for data center scaling and supplier opportunities.
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MediaTek Hid Its Device Footprint For Years
- MediaTek historically hid customer details and downplayed IP, surprising analysts when attendees later found Mediatek silicon inside popular devices like Amazon Echo.
- Ben Bajarin recounted learning MediaTek was the SoC inside Echo devices despite the company's reticence to name customers.
MediaTek Should Be Benchmarked Against Broadcom And Marvell
- MediaTek competes at the higher tier of ASIC providers, not just as a low-level wafer house; it can realistically be benchmarked against Broadcom and Marvell.
- Jay Goldberg emphasized MediaTek has long done custom ASIC work and is competing for big customers — not merely Alchip/GUC-style services.
Allocation At TSMC Is A Key ASIC Advantage
- TSMC allocation and a privileged relationship are MediaTek's strongest competitive advantages for winning hyperscaler ASIC work.
- Ben Bajarin noted MediaTek is a top TSMC wafer customer and benefits from early access to process and packaging co-optimization.