MediaTek eyes Internet of Things partnership with Xiaomi

SILICON VALLEY/TAIPEI - MediaTek will join hands with Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi in promoting the next big trend in consumer electronics: the Internet of Things, according to the Taiwanese chipmaker's president.

Xiaomi became the world's No. 3 smartphone maker in just five years since its founding, thanks in large part to MediaTek chips. The Chinese company has been branching out into consumer electronics, such as tablets and televisions, and has set its sights on IoT technologies. It has developed speakers and wearable devices and plans to increase the list of compatible Internet-connected gadgets.

"The relationship with Xiaomi is smooth," MediaTek President Hsieh Ching-jiang said on a trip to the US for the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "For Xiaomi, we speeded up service and increased the number of employees."

"We would like to support Xiaomi in IoT business, too," Hsieh added, expressing hope that MediaTek chips will find their way into a broader range of devices as Xiaomi's lineup of IoT products expands.

MediaTek set up a subsidiary in the automotive field last year. It has already secured a deal with at least one company, according to Hsieh. MediaTek is expected to first supply chips for Internet-connected automotive equipment, running Google's Android operating system, that can provide users with music, directions and other information.

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