MediaTek's new 3nm chip wants to power fanless, AI-first Googlebooks
What you need to know- MediaTek's Dimensity CX C10 Max is the company's first chip for its new Compute Experiences family, targeting premium Googlebook devices.
- The 3nm chip packs an all-big-core octa-core CPU, 11-core GPU, and eighth-generation NPU for demanding workloads.
- The Imagiq 1090 ISP supports cameras up to 32MP, HDR video, smoother zoom, cinematic video, and continuous focus.
MediaTek is officially bringing its silicon chops to high-end laptops. The chipmaker has announced the Dimensity CX C10 Max, a new processor specifically designed for the upcoming new wave of AI-first Googlebook devices.
The chip is the first product in MediaTek's new Dimensity Compute Experiences family and is expected to power an upcoming premium ultra-portable laptop.
The C10 Max is built using TSMC's 3nm process and takes a very unusual approach to laptop performance, with an all-big-core octa-core CPU, paired with an 11-core GPU. MediaTek also brings its 8th-generation NPU that provides dedicated hardware for AI workloads to the platform, rather than just relying on the CPU or GPU.
According to the company's press release, the MediaTek NPU 890 can deliver up to 55 trillion operations per second (TOPS). MediaTek is promoting the NPU as the engine behind the Gemini Intelligence features for upcoming Googlebook hardware. The company says that keeping more AI processing on the device can also improve response times and provide additional privacy benefits.
The device has more capabilities beyond AI. The integrated ISP Imagiq 1090 is said to be capable of supporting up to 32MP cameras and introduces AI-assisted imaging features such as HDR video, smoother zoom, cinematic video, and continuous focus. That should translate to better video calls, livestreams, and other camera-heavy laptop tasks.
Connectivity gets a big boost as well. You get Wi-Fi 7 with speeds of up to 7.3Gbps, plus dual-engine Bluetooth 6.0 for wireless accessories and audio devices.
The larger promise is efficiency. MediaTek says the chip can help manufacturers build laptops that are thinner, lighter, and fan-less, while still aiming for all-day battery life. The first devices are coming, giving Googlebook makers another ARM-based option for bringing local AI to the heart of the laptop experience.
The announcement comes as Qualcomm unveils its Snapdragon X Elite chipset for the first wave of Googlebook hardware, including the HP Googlebook 14 and new models from Dell.