At MediaTek, technology is built with humans in mind to enhance and enrich life. They believe technology has to be great and great technology should be accessible to everyone. MediaTek wants to make the world a more inclusive place, where being smart and connected is an equal opportunity. MediaTek has always been at the forefront of innovative technology and, in 2022, they aim to continue this trend. Most recently, our ELE Times Sub Editor and correspondent had a candid conversation with Rituparna Mandal, General Manager, Mediatek.
Excerpts:
ELE Times: What would you like to say about your inspiring journey from being Senior Manager at TI to becoming the general manager at MediaTek?
Rituparna Mandal: I have been lucky to enjoy a career spanning various roles in the technology sector, from Texas Instruments, where I was the manager for foundation IP development and handling team sizes of over 100 to my current stint as General Manager at MediaTek. Along the way, I also founded Immensa Semiconductors, which was then acquired by MediaTek. I have completed six years in the company and have built my career through a very interesting and dynamic journey. I have gained tremendous joy and satisfaction from managing a young entity like MediaTek Bangalore and the endeavor has consistently demanded innovation and creativity from my end and made me push my boundaries as a leader.
ELE Times: What would be the exciting industry developments MediaTek is planning to look forward to in 2022?
Rituparna Mandal: MediaTek has always been at the forefront of innovative technology and, in 2022, we aim to continue this trend. We are looking forward to the evolution of an array of developments, from the possibility of 5G deployment and spread of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things to the boom in the semiconductor industry and proliferation of smart devices. As one of the companies powering this revolution with our market-leading chips and innovative solutions, we believe that 2022 will be a very exciting year in terms of industry developments.
ELE Times: How majorly is the global chip shortage going to crash the electronic consumer market in the near future?
Rituparna Mandal: There is expected to be a major shortage of chips, on a global scale, even in the months ahead. Continuing from the time of the pandemic, this shortage is likely to affect electronic consumer markets sharply. In fact, according to Counterpoint Research, the smartphone industry is expected to show only a 6% on-year growth this year, as against the initial forecast of about 12%, due to this shortage. At present, the industry is struggling to cope with the fallout but we are taking all possible efforts to mitigate the impact.
ELE Times: How is MediaTek pulling out big features in mid-tier devices?
Rituparna Mandal: At MediaTek, our vision has always been aimed at technology democratization and we strongly believe that it is important to make great technology available to everyone. We have put in tremendous effort in realising this vision and have created chips at mid-tier prices boasting premier and flagship features. Some of the recent examples of mid-tier chips offering big features include the MediaTek 5G Dimensity 800 and 700 series targeting the mainstream, mid-tier, and new premium segments. We aim to bring 5G and other smart solutions within the grasp of everyone, and for this, our R&D teams are constantly endeavoring to create cost-effective yet premier offerings.
ELE Times: What innovations are lined up for 2022 and for what application areas specifically in MediaTek?
Rituparna Mandal: MediaTek powers nearly 2 billion connected devices every year, from mobile devices, home entertainment, and connectivity and IoT products. We are known as drivers of new technologies, with our commitment to always bring customers and partners the best in the market. We are at the forefront of 5G technology, with our Dimensity family of chips. For 2022, our R&D centers are working on updating all our innovative technologies while also diversifying our portfolio into segments such as edge Internet of Things solutions and basic design execution. We are also lining up innovations in the smart device segment and customers have a lot to look forward to in the new year.
ELE Times: What milestones are targeted in terms of research, technology development, and market expansion and revenue generation by the end of next year?
Rituparna Mandal: As a fabless semiconductor company, our focus is always on developing and expanding our R&D capabilities and we have taken significant strides in this direction. In the years ahead, we are eyeing strong and sustainable growth and expansion in the Indian ecosystem and are scaling up to achieve this goal. We have begun hiring aggressively from Indian campuses and will significantly bolster our research and product design capabilities across research centers in Bangalore and Noida. By the end of 2022, we are looking at substantial hiring of engineers and therefore boosting our revenue generation capabilities in a major way.
ELE Times: Considering emerging technologies, what market trends are to be followed in 2 to 4 years?
Rituparna Mandal: The pandemic has accelerated technological development on a grand and unprecedented scale and we expect this momentum to carry us through the years ahead. Emerging areas we are focused on include 5G, AI and smart technologies as we believe these sectors display tremendous scope for growth. Semiconductors will be at the heart of these disruptive movements and we intend to be at the forefront of the upcoming technology revolution.
Contributing Author:
Sheeba Chauhan |Sub Editor |ELE Times
