TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — TSMC and MediaTek announced Wednesday that they developed the first silicon-proven power management unit and integrated power amplifier on TSMC’s N6RF+ process.

TSMC said in a press release that it used an advanced radio frequency process to integrate the units onto a system-on-a-chip (SoC). This allows for a smaller form factor while maintaining performance competitiveness with standalone modules.

The company said its N6RF+ technology can reduce the size of the wireless connectivity product module by a double-digit percentage, per CNA. The collaboration’s design showed better power efficiency than current solutions.

MediaTek Corporate Vice President Wu Ching-san (吳慶杉) said that after collaborating for a year, the test chip showed good efficiency gains. “By combining MediaTek's leadership in wireless technology and TSMC's expertise on DTCO, N6RF+ will become a competitive technology for RFSoC projects, creating a significant advantage in the industry," according to Wu.

TSMC Advanced Technology Business Development Senior Director Yuan Li-pen (袁立本) said successful design between foundry and customer requires strong mutual trust and teamwork. “This achievement on TSMC’s N6RF+ process shows how TSMC combines its leadership in advanced logic and broad portfolio of specialty technologies to provide differentiated solutions for customers’ products,” he said.