MediaTek Invests In Ecosystem To Drive IoT Strategy
MediaTek has announced a series of new partnerships and along with two software development kits (SDKs) for Apple HomeKit, the framework in iOS 8 for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home. At the annual executive forum in London, leaders from across MediaTek’s business, including Smartphones, Home Connectivity, IoT and Developer Community, announced a partnership with Amazon for the latest devices. The Amazon Fire TV is powered by MediaTek’s MT8173, a 64-bit quad-core processor and the first multimedia SoC with ARM’s Cortex-A72 cores; Fire HD 8 and Fire HD 10 tablets powered by MT8135, an up to 1.5 GHz quad-core processor.
Mdediatek has also made a tender offer to acquire Richtek Technology, an
analog IC company that delivers power management solutions. With the possible acquisition, Mediatek will strengthen its overall capabilities for the IoT business model. The deal is expected to close in Q2 2016.
Mediatek also commercialized Tinitell, a partner of MediaTek Labs, which announced $1m of new funding to bring its wrist phone for children to the European market.
In addition, the Taiwanese company is funding to People Power, a user engagement company providing apps, cloud and mobile services for IoT to further accelerate its penetration in the IoT market in both the U.S. and China, develop new IoT products based on its Fabrux and Influx software architecture.
Last but not least, Mediatek has released two software development kits (SDKs) for Apple HomeKit, the framework in iOS 8 for communicating with and controlling connected accessories in a user’s home.
MediaTek’s new SDKs support two SoCs, the MT7688 and MT7687. The MT7688, for smart appliances runs on Linux and powers higher performance, more complex use cases, such as wireless speakers and webcams. The MT7687 is a low-power WiFi SoC, which enables any home appliance from garage doors, power switch to thermostats, and runs on the FreeRTOS operating system. This means all such appliances and uses can now be securely controlled from an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch using the MediaTek SoCs.