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Inside the MediaTek Genio Platform: Bringing IoT and AI Together

In a recent All About Circuits webinar, Sameer Sharma, AVP for IoT at MediaTek, spoke about how edge AI (on-device) is reshaping the Internet of Things, and why the MediaTek Genio platform is uniquely positioned to deliver that future. For OEMs and developers, it’s now time to embrace AI’s clear advantages and build devices that are powerful, efficient, and scalable. That’s exactly what MediaTek Genio was designed to do.

IoT Processors Built for Scale

IoT devices span everything from smart appliances to industrial systems, but they share a common need: a consistent, scalable foundation. The MediaTek Genio family delivers exactly that. The Genio 520 and Genio 720 platforms in particular are inter-compatible, giving OEMs flexibility so a simple chip swap allows a single hardware design to scale across different performance tiers. Similarly, the Genio 510 and 700 share the same design compatibility. This allows customers to accelerate development, reduce costs, and efficiently build “good / better / best” product lines to appeal to broad markets.

Scalability extends beyond performance. MediaTek Genio platforms include powerful NPUs in the chip, enabling on-device AI. They also support for advanced multimedia features and offer flexible connectivity options including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular modem add-ons to fit diverse IoT applications, like mobile point-of-sale devices, to new markets like EV charging stations. Our unique expertise in multimedia, built on years of leadership in smartphones, smart homes, and smart TVs, brings these advanced capabilities into IoT from human machine interfaces (HMI), smart retail, to enterprise use, benefitting from multiple high-resolution displays, 4K video processing and rich audio capabilities for information and advertising – all from a single, highly power-efficient chip. And because IoT deployments demand long-term reliability, MediaTek Genio platforms are built with 10+ years of product longevity, multi-OS flexibility (Android, Linux, Ubuntu), and long-term OS and security support. Together, these features give product designers (OEMs) the confidence to scale solutions across markets and sustain them for the long term.

Optimized for Generative AI

Unlike platforms that have added AI on top an extra, MediaTek Genio was architected with AI at its core. The latest SoCs feature MediaTek’s 8th-generation NPUs, capable of up to 10 TOPS and optimized for both vision workloads, and emerging generative AI applications.

Customers increasingly want to run small language models for natural language interaction, personalization, and contextual decision-making all on-device, avoiding the cost and dependance on cloud services. MediaTek Genio enables this with:

  • High bandwidth LPDDR5 memory
  • Large memory footprints of up to 16GB for more capable Gen-AI inference
  • An octa-core CPU that balances performance and efficiency between core types, ensuring the right tasks is assigned the right processor, avoiding wasted power or bottlenecks.

This makes MediaTek Genio one of the first IoT platforms carefully optimized for GenAI at the edge, giving OEMs the ability to deliver next-generation AI experiences locally without depending on the cloud.

A Developer Ecosystem That Accelerates Time-to-Market

MediaTek understands that software is just as important as silicon. The MediaTek Genio Developer Portal provides SDKs, documentation, evaluation kits, and community resources to support developers at every stage.

Our partnership with NVIDIA adds even greater value; using the NVIDIA TAO Toolkit, developers can fine-tune pre-trained models on NVIDIA GPUs and seamlessly deploy them on MediaTek Genio NPUs. This integration bridges the training power of NVIDIA with the efficiency of MediaTek at the edge, giving developers a faster, more efficient path from prototype to deployment.

Edge AI is redefining IoT, and generative AI is accelerating that shift. To take advantage, OEMs need platforms that combine scalable design, AI performance, robust connectivity, and long lifecycle support.

Looking ahead, IoT adoption will be driven by AI-powered personalization, deeper integration of next-generation connectivity, and a growing focus on sustainability. MediaTek Genio is the platform built to deliver on these priorities, helping OEMs create devices that last longer, perform smarter, and reduce reliance on the cloud.

With MediaTek Genio, the edge is no longer an option, it’s a requirement. And it’s where the future of IoT is already being built. Learn more about MediaTek’s Genio Platforms.

Ask not what AI can do for Wi-Fi, but what Wi-Fi can do for AI

Exec Talk article by Shahnawaz Siraj, Director of Technology | Intelligent Connectivity at MediaTek

 

AI is transforming industries, and without exception, it has become the buzzword of networking. While vendors and equipment manufacturers are pitching the same AI use cases for networking, such as configuration management, self-driving networks, anomaly detection, application visibility and QoS, and location services, the real differentiation in the execution – how reliably and at scale these solutions work.

On end-user devices, the role of AI is obvious: live translation, image editing, and voice assistants. In the cloud, it’s even clearer: the cloud is the “ocean” where all the data flows, it is where centralized AI workloads can see the big picture, correlating patterns across millions of devices and networks. That’s what enables use cases like anomaly detection and others.

The harder question has been how AI is reshaping the edge, and in particular, the Wi-Fi edge.

In the home, the gateway is the logical edge compute point before traffic heads to the cloud, especially now that integrated Wi-Fi has become the standard.

When it comes to the enterprise, the definition of “edge” can be less clear: is it the WAN edge (SD-WAN/secure gateway), or the Wi-Fi access points where client devices connect? If we extend the home analogy, the WAN edge remains the logical place for heavier AI workloads.

It best addresses the key concerns of data immediacy, real-time responsiveness, latency, privacy, and network bandwidth efficiency.

Which then raises the harder question: what’s the unique role of APs (Access Points) in AI at the edge?

The reality is that the industry hasn’t yet landed on a breakthrough “AI-on-AP” use case, and that’s fine. The role of the AP isn’t limited to running AI itself, but also to be ready for the traffic shifts AI will create, through programmability, better QoS, and more flexible platforms. That’s where APs can make a real impact and this is where the conversation turns 180 degrees. It’s not just AI for Wi-Fi, but also Wi-Fi for AI.

Are Wi-Fi networks ready for the new, unpredictable traffic patterns that AI applications will generate? End devices will keep getting smarter and running more inference locally, but that won’t reduce the demand on networks. Instead, it will create new and unpredictable patterns: burst of high-throughput or latency-sensitive traffic and dynamic flows across devices and the cloud. That means Wi-Fi’s role is not just more bandwidth, but resilience, adaptability, and future-proofing against traffic we can’t yet define today.

The industry is also moving to standardize this space. Within IEEE 802.11, the AI/ML group is set to explore how AI can be embedded into Wi-Fi. There are use cases being discussed to enhance WLAN performance, for example, the AP can leverage dynamic capabilities of AI/ML to assist STAs in proactively selecting optimal configuration parameters. In parallel, there are use cases focused on enabling AL/ML itself over WLAN, for example, supporting federated learning across Wi-Fi networks.

At MediaTek, as an innovation and technology leader, we see ourselves as enablers. We develop and provide the complete platform, hardware and software together, along with the SDKs, tools, and reference use cases that let our partners and customers innovate further. Whether it’s optimizing QoS using AI, enabling hooks for edge analytics and troubleshooting, or preparing APs for workloads that haven’t even been imagined yet, our goal is to make sure Wi-Fi isn’t just keeping up with AI, but empowering it.

The future of AI will depend on the networks that carry it. And Wi-Fi, more than ever, is at the front line.

MediaTek Filogic Series Explained: Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E & Wi-Fi 7 Chipsets

MediaTek Filogic
is a family of high-performance, power-efficient, and reliable Wi-Fi solutions designed to deliver seamless connectivity for today’s always-connected world. Whether for enterprise networks, consumer electronics (CE), broadband, retail, or IoT devices, Filogic chipsets power a wide range of applications.

From routers, access points, and repeaters to mesh systems, notebooks, mobile devices, and add-in boards (AIBs), the MediaTek Filogic series supports end-to-end connectivity solutions.

MediaTek Filogic Chipset families

These chipsets integrate cutting-edge connectivity technologies that enhance speed, coverage, and efficiency. MediaTek is a key contributor to the Wi-Fi Alliance standards, and is often first to market with new features, providing reference platforms and white papers to support industry adoption of a next-generation standard.

Why opt for Wi-Fi 7 devices powered by MediaTek Filogic?

Wi-Fi 7 introduces Multi-Link Operation (MLO), which can aggregate data bandwidth between 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz bands to achieve up to 80% greater throughput in a heavily loaded network compared to previous Wi-Fi generations. Smart Link-Dispatching efficiently organizes data among the available links according to each device’s traffic requirements.. It does this by intelligently analyzing the data rate available on each band, then it adopts adaptive dispatching to achieve higher channel efficiency.

Will there be a Wi-Fi 8?

MediaTek was first to market with Wi-Fi 7 devices in 2022, and continues to lead the industry with a strong foundation of Wi-Fi 8 technologies, ready for commercialization in the next few years.

Why Choose MediaTek Filogic?

Superb Performance & Leading Features

  • Multicore CPU designs and dedicated networking processors deliver faster throughput. Wi-Fi 7 with single MAC MLO uniquely manages multiple bands with lower latency and power use than alternative chipsets. MediaTek’s Smart Link Dispatching then goes even further to improve QoS, especially for applications that have strict latency requirements.

World-Class Support

  • MediaTek partners with customers from concept to mass production, enabling faster time to market with customizable designs.

Advanced Bluetooth Integration

  • Supports multiple Bluetooth signals, improving mesh airtime and simultaneous application performance.

Power Efficiency Focused Designs

  • Optimized for long battery life with small form factor designs, perfect for mobile and IoT devices.

Extended Range and Coverage

  • Proprietary hardware algorithms boost antenna reception and signal range for more reliable connections.

Built-In Security

  • Chipsets built with a dedicated security engine, Secure Boot, and TrustZone ensure device and data protection.

Battling Wi-Fi Interference: Why you’re showing connected, but the data's not getting through

Key Takeaways:

  • 75% of home Wi-Fi suffers interference and slowdowns during peak usage periods.
  • MediaTek Anti-Interference can mitigate >95% Wi-Fi interference.
  • The result? Up to 30% faster throughput and 60% lower latency during peak use.

Wi-Fi has become the invisible lifeline of modern life, powering how we work, stream, game, shop, browse, and connect with one another. But as Wi-Fi has become ever-present in almost every device, it’s also continually fighting the problem of interference.

Think about a multi-story apartment building. Each family installs its own Wi-Fi router or mesh of routers, separated from the next only by a wall or a floor. Before long, dozens of signals overlap, competing for space on the same channels. The result? Slower speeds, dropped connections, and frustrating lag. The same issue appears in neighborhoods, offices, public spaces, and increasingly even in vehicles that offer in-car Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, where passengers are exposed to waves of competing signals.

Meanwhile, temporary peer-to-peer connections, like sharing files or casting videos, can also clash with local networks, hurting performance on both sides.

Engineers categorize these problems into two types: Co-Channel Interference (CCI), which occurs when networks fight over the same channel, and Adjacent-Channel Interference (ACI), which occurs when nearby channels bleed into each other. Both cause slower speeds, higher latency, and unstable connections.

While solutions like band steering and channel switching help reduce congestion, they’re not perfect and can sometimes cause devices to disconnect or stop responding. That’s why next-generation anti-interference technologies are becoming so important. By intelligently managing channel use in real time, they promise faster, more reliable Wi-Fi in crowded environments without causing the headaches of connection drops or slowdowns.

In short: as our reliance on Wi-Fi keeps growing, smarter ways to fight interference are key to keeping our digital lives connected. Read our white paper to discover MediaTek’s proposals for a series of effective Wi-Fi anti-interference technologies, including Universal Bandwidth Adaptation (UBA), Customized Preamble Puncture (CPP), Enhanced Spatial Reuse (ESR), and Coordinated Spatial Reuse (CSR).

Wi-Fi 7 vs Wi-Fi 8 - what's the difference?

Wi-Fi 7 is currently the best specification available as of 2025, although Wi-Fi 8 is already in development and is expected to launch officially in 2028. While several years of research and development are still ahead, and the exact specification has not yet been finalized, we do know that Wi-Fi 8 will prioritize ultra-high reliability (UHR).

Why is this important?
Wi-Fi has become the most viable alternative to traditional wireline connectivity solutions such as Ethernet and coaxial cables. It offers users the convenience of cable-free flexibility for many devices, such as laptops and televisions, without the limitations of physical connections. Although the peak throughput of Wi-Fi often exceeds the requirements of many applications, users may occasionally experience intermittent jitter during streaming or video conferencing.

This suggests that Wi-Fi is still susceptible to environmental factors that affect signal quality and consistency. In many residential environments, achieving cable-equivalent reliability remains a significant challenge for Wi-Fi technology.

The wireless spectrum is becoming increasingly congested, and Wi-Fi 8 must be designed to integrate more effectively with cellular networks for internet access. A 2022 Cisco study estimated that over 50% of global mobile data traffic was offloaded to Wi-Fi networks, highlighting the important role Wi-Fi plays in the broader cellular ecosystem.

The same three frequency ranges—2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz—will be available in Wi-Fi 8, so it must continue to improve spectrum utilization to deliver greater network throughput and lower latency. This is especially critical as the number of wireless devices and their data demands continue to grow rapidly.

More complex networks also require better management. Mesh networks that cover large areas in homes, businesses, and public spaces are becoming increasingly common. Wi-Fi 8 must improve the coordination of multiple Access Points (APs), optimize how they handle all connected devices within their coverage areas, and enhance the way overlapping networks manage interference.

As you can see in the table below, despite Wi-Fi 7 and Wi-Fi 8 sharing many high-level similarities, digging in further unveils many new technologies being proposed to improve the use of wireless spectrum already available, enhancing connection efficiency and reliability, especially in congested network environments that frequently exist in everyday life.

Read our two Wi-Fi 8 white papers to learn more about the new technologies listed below, and the specific scenarios they benefit:

Technology Wi-Fi 7 Wi-Fi 8
Availability Now ~2028
Top Speed Up to 36Gbps >36Gbps
Bands 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz 2.4GHz, 5GHz, 6GHz
Channel BW/Modulation Up to 320MHz, 4096 QAM Under investigation
MLO Improved with
MediaTek Smart-Link Dispatching
Improved for further

spectral efficiency

AI-enhanced Networking No Potentially real-time network optimizations based on user connectivity habits
MIMO Standard Improvements in spatial streams, beamforming, and multi-user support
Mesh Networking Standard Improved with multi-AP co-ordination
Power Efficiency Standard Improved
Connectivity Range Standard Improved
Dynamic Sub-channel Operation (DSO) / Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) No Yes
Distributed Resource Units (dRU) No Yes
Coordinated Spatial Reuse (Co-SR) No Yes
Coordinated Beamforming (Co-BF) No Yes
Dynamic Sub-channel Operation (DSO) No Yes
Modulation and Coding Schemes (MCS) Standard Improved (better data-rate)
Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) No Yes
In-Device Coexistence (IDC) No Yes
TXOP Preemption No Yes
High Priority EDCA (HIP EDCA) No Yes
Wi-Fi 8: Why ultra-high reliability matters

MediaTek has collaborated with RCR Wireless  to discuss why ultra-high reliability (UHR) is the key technology that differentiates Wi-Fi 8, which is projected to begin certification in 2028. UHR is expected to become a major user experience upgrade as the number of devices in our homes, workplaces, and surrounding environments continues to grow, leading to an increasingly busy wireless landscape.

 “User experience is key,” stated James C Chen, Vice President of Product Technology and Marketing at MediaTek. “In this day and age of real-time and latency sensitive applications highlighted by more Agentic AI, responsiveness, reliability and always-on connectivity mean more than another 1 or 2 Gbps of speed increases. You can continuously increase the horsepower of an engine but if it can’t translate that speed to the ground, then its of limited use. That’s the focus of Wi-Fi 8, putting Wi-Fi to better use.”

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European broadband operators will be ramping up deployments of Wi-Fi 7-equipped gateways and other devices aggressively this year, explains MediaTek’s James Chen, VP Product & Technology Marketing. The adoption of the latest Wi-Fi standard is the most accelerated ever, as the benefits of Wi-Fi 7, plus a broad range of chipsets providing fast, reliable performance are now available for OEMs to use.

Talking to Wi-Fi NOW, Chen noted, “Nearly all Tier 1 as well as Tier 2 broadband service providers have adopted MediaTek Wi-Fi 7 for fibre gateways, 5G FWA CPEs, and home extenders. Interest is strong in Europe and USA – as well as other parts of the world – and deployments will accelerate into 2026 and 2027,” 

MediaTek has published a second white paper, detailing Reliable Communications in Wi-Fi 8. If you missed the first white paper, which focused on Fast, Efficient Spectrum, you can find it here.

This new white paper discusses how Wi-Fi 8 is designed to seamlessly integrate with cellular networks for internet access, how it increases opportunities for wireless data transmission and spectrum efficiency through Non-Primary Channel Access (NPCA) and In-Device Coexistence (IDC), and how it reduces long-tail latency via TXOP Preemption and High Priority EDCA (HIP-EDCA).

Wi-Fi 8, broadly speaking, prioritizes a generational improvement in connection robustness and reliability over merely increasing headline speeds. This specifically involves enhancing wireless spectrum accessibility and minimizing the long-tail latency of wireless interactions.

Wi-Fi has emerged as the most viable alternative to traditional wireline connectivity solutions, offering the convenience of cable-free flexibility for devices like laptops and televisions. While the peak throughput of Wi-Fi often exceeds the requirements of many applications, users may occasionally experience intermittent jitter during activities such as streaming, gaming, or video conferencing.

This highlights Wi-Fi’s susceptibility to local environmental factors that affect signal quality and consistency. With Wi-Fi access now a staple in virtually every household and the increasing adoption of wireless personal and smart home devices, interference is inevitable. The situation becomes further complicated with the widespread deployment of multiple access points (APs) or mesh networks, which often share the same channel to minimize channel-switching latency. Consequently, the throughput experienced by a user at any given moment may be significantly lower than the peak throughput, leading to intermittent connectivity even when signal quality appears adequate.

Our goal is to address the actual performance users can achieve in typical, everyday Wi-Fi environments. Key enabling technologies include NPCA, IDC, latency and QoS enhancements via preemption, and HIP-EDCA. Their impact on enhancing communication reliability is illustrated in the following real-life scenarios.

Imagine coming home to one that knows you as well as you know it. It’s a future where your living space doesn’t just respond to commands but anticipates your needs and subtly adapts to your routine. That’s where we’re headed—a future where the smart home feels less like a collection of devices and more like an extension of you, and your family.

Generative AI is one of the major innovations helping us reach this future. MediaTek’s Genio IoT platform is already leading the way by making AI-driven interactions more natural and responsive. Picture a personal assistant who’s helpful and empathetic, even providing companionship for elderly family members. And now, with natural language interaction, you won’t need to memorize specific commands or tap through multiple screens; you can simply speak naturally, and your devices will accurately interpret, understand and respond. This isn’t just tech—it’s a new level of human connection and comfort right in your living room.

This transformation intends to elevate connected homes into truly autonomous living spaces. And it’s happening faster than many realize; soon, your home recognizes when you decide to go to bed, for example, and will automatically adjust the lighting, secure doors, and even optimize the temperature throughout each room without needing a second thought from you. Think of it as a silent virtual assistant, always there but never in the way, adapting quietly to your needs.

And as homes become more connected, they need to be harmoniously integrated. We know how frustrating it can be when gadgets don’t play well together. MediaTek is committed to ensuring that whether it’s the security cameras, sensors, thermal control systems, a smart hub, plus all your smartphones, tablets, laptops, PCs, smart TVs, and everything else – all your devices must always connect reliably, and communicate seamlessly across platforms. It’s smart living made simple.

Finally, personalization will be at the heart of tomorrow’s smart homes. Imagine that your home learns from you—adjusting the lighting and music as you wind down for the evening, or planning your workouts based on what you did, or didn’t do last week! It’s a world where every piece of tech aligns with your unique lifestyle, making each day a little more tailored to you.

At MediaTek, we believe that the future of smart homes is one where technology moves quietly to the background, working smoothly and intuitively to elevate your daily life. We’re building the foundations today so that, tomorrow, you won’t just have a smart home—you’ll have an intelligent, personalized space that truly feels like yours.

Learn more about our featured products:

As the smart home industry evolves, televisions are no longer just for entertainment; they now also act as the central hub for controlling smart home systems. Recently, Google highlighted the integration of Google Home with smart TVs, showcasing how this combination is set to become the central control point for future smart homes.

At CES 2025, Google and MediaTek kicked off a collaboration to build a new chipset solution for the Google Home ecosystem. This chipset will facilitate widespread adoption of Thread and enable developers to provide more robust and responsive smart home experiences for users. Known as the MT7903, this new MediaTek Filogic-branded chipset is a wireless connectivity solution integrating tri-band Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 6, and IEEE 802.15.4/Thread radios.

The upcoming MT7903, slated for sampling in the first half of 2025, will make it more affordable and seamless for manufacturers to integrate Thread into their devices. Additionally, it will support the Matter standard, allowing devices from different manufacturers to interconnect and bring higher security. The new chipset also offers a low power feature called Thread border router offload, which enables the main SoC to enter sleep mode while maintaining its connection with other smart home devices, providing another step forward to achieving sustainability.

Combining Google’s focus on the smart home and MediaTek’s years of experience in the semiconductor space, this team effort ensures a bright future for Google Home and the broader smart home ecosystem.