MediaTek to bring AI capabilities in feature phones and entry-level smartphones

On-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips are fast changing the way Indian users interact with their devices and Taiwanese mobile chipset maker MediaTek on 5 July said it will ensure that the experience reaches millions of feature phone and entry-level smartphone users. Showcasing advancements in smartphone AI here, TL Lee, General Manager, Wireless Communication, MediaTek, told IANS that the company is well aware of the huge mobile handset consumer base. [caption id=“attachment_4672841” align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]  Representational image. Reuters.[/caption] There are nearly 650 million mobile phone users in India and just over 300 million of them have a smartphone, according to Counterpoint Research. “We want to democratise AI. The idea of introducing new-Age chipsets with AI capabilities is to empower all mobile users. India offers a great opportunity across price segments and we’ll have AI chips to address all of those soon,” Lee emphasised. The recently announced **MediaTek** ‘Helio P22’ chip is expected to bring high-end features to mid-tier smartphones in India. The earlier launched ‘P60’ chipset saw strong customer adoption, with new Vivo and OPPO devices in India this year. With ‘P22’, MediaTek claims to offer the benefits of AI-accelerated experiences, better photography, and reliable connectivity. “We expect continued device maker wins and consumer growth with new Helio P22 chipset,” Lee told IANS. The Helio P22 is in volume production and is expected to be available in consumer devices by the end of second quarter this year. MediaTek, that enables 1.5 billion connected devices a year, is a first mover in bringing features such as AI Processing Unit (APU), face detection, gaming, voice-assistant, shopping and others to mid-range smartphones. Companies that joined MediaTek and leading the AI experience include Facebook, Google, and smartphone manufacturers like Realme (an OPPO sub-brand). According to Ajay Chhabra, Mobile Partnership Manager at Facebook India, Facebook is using AI to enhance its users’ experience with the help of Cloud and on-device Machine Learning (ML). Chhabra also talked about the significance of MediaTek’s participation in Open Neural Network Exchange (ONNX) to drive AI innovation and support the evolution of its Edge-AI platform. The open ecosystem allows AI developers to build mass-market AI applications. Vivek Joshi, Head of Android Partner Engineering (India) from Google, said that MediaTek’s ‘NeuroPilot’ platform gives smartphone developers a right environment to leverage AI capabilities of the chip along with Google Android Neural Networks API. “This means developers using the Android NN API is assured their software also works across MediaTek platforms,” he said.