MediaTek Launches Dimensity 9600 Pro, First Mobile Chip Built on TSMC’s 2nm Technology

Taiwanese semiconductor company MediaTek has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone processor, the Dimensity 9600 Pro, built using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) advanced 2-nanometre manufacturing technology.

The launch marks a major step in MediaTek’s push into the premium smartphone market, where it is seeking to compete more aggressively with rivals such as Qualcomm.

According to reports, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is MediaTek’s first mobile processor manufactured using TSMC’s 2nm process. The company also introduced the Dimensity 9600M, which uses TSMC’s 3nm technology and is targeted at a wider segment of high-end smartphones.

One of the major features of the Dimensity 9600 Pro is its focus on on-device artificial intelligence. The processor includes a dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) designed to handle increasingly complex generative AI applications directly on smartphones.

MediaTek said the new NPU delivers a 51 per cent improvement over the previous generation in processing a user’s prompt before an AI model begins generating a response.

The move toward 2nm chip technology is significant because smaller manufacturing processes can allow chipmakers to pack more transistors into a smaller area while improving performance and power efficiency.

The new processor is also expected to support demanding smartphone applications, including advanced gaming, imaging and AI-powered features. Industry reports indicate that the Dimensity 9600 Pro incorporates newer memory and storage technologies, including LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0 support.

MediaTek said smartphones powered by the new processors are expected to arrive soon, with manufacturers including Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo among its established smartphone customers.

The launch comes as smartphone manufacturers increasingly turn to artificial intelligence to differentiate premium devices, while rising component costs put pressure on the prices of high-end phones.

MediaTek has also been expanding beyond smartphones into AI infrastructure, data centres and custom chip development. The company is expected to begin mass production of its first AI accelerator for a major US cloud service provider in the fourth quarter of 2026.

MediaTek’s latest move highlights the growing competition among semiconductor companies to develop smaller, faster and more AI-capable processors as smartphones become increasingly dependent on artificial intelligence.