OpenAI, popularly known for its artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot, ChatGPT, is said to be working on a smartphone backed by AI agents. To fast-track the plan, the AI company has reportedly partnered with Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek to power the AI-focused smartphone. According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, MediaTek will help OpenAI build chips that support AI agents and support future 6G technology standards.

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OpenAI and MediaTek partnership: What to expect

Kuo highlighted that OpenAI’s speculated collaboration with MediaTek to build AI-powered smartphones could challenge Qualcomm’s Snapdragon SoC in the premium chipset market. 

Qualcomm has long dominated the premium chipset market, and it reportedly holds around 60% market share. The company has also expanded its brand value with sports sponsorships like Formula 1 teams Mercedes and Ferrari, and Manchester United. 

Now, as agentic AI smartphones are being positioned as the future of mobile computing, as they will be able to perform tasks, make decisions, and conduct tasks more independently. Now, considering OpenAI’s massive user base across products, with 900 million weekly active users for ChatGPT alone, then an agentic AI smartphone powered by a MediaTek chip could attract significant consumer attention.

In addition, the collaboration can boost MediaTek’s visibility in the flagship market, which currently dominates the mid-range smartphone segment. Kuo said, “Once MediaTek accumulates real-world experience through this project, it will be able to ground its future SoC designs in agentic workload data drawn from genuine usage.” 

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In addition, Kuo also highlighted that the partnership could help MediaTek gather real-world data that may help design AI-centric chips required for agentic smartphones. 

Alongside agentic capabilities, OpenAI may also emphasise 6G Technology, as it can become an AI-native network capable of supporting AI-driven devices. This connectivity may ensure fast internet speeds, stable connections, low latency, and could offer smooth communication between on-device and cloud-based AI systems.

However, take the information with a pinch of salt as the analyst's remarks are based on speculations. Neither OpenAI nor MediaTek have not confirmed a partnership or plans for AI-powered smartphones, and we may have to wait a couple of months for confirmation.