There was a time when Huawei and MediaTek had a strong partnership. Many of the former’s smartphones were powered by the latter’s chips, but Everything changed in 2020 with the entry into force of a series of new trade restrictions promoted by the United States.
The deal with Taiwanese MediaTek fell through, forcing Chinese firm Huawei to rely on both its own Kirin chips and Qualcomm’s Snapdragons. This was followed by a successful attempt to develop a 5G chip, but without US technology.
From partners to rivals
Now everything seems to indicate that these companies will meet again, but in court. As reported by Nikkei Asia, Huawei has sued MediaTek in China. The information first circulated as rumors, although it was later confirmed by MediaTek itself.
DigiTimes, a reputable newspaper in the Asian technology industry, notes that The axis of the legal action is an alleged 5G technology patent infringementThe move, they point out, responds to a strategic move by Huawei to boost HiSilicon.
HiSilicon is wholly owned by Huawei and competes in the same mobile chip market as MediaTek. Industry sources consulted by the aforementioned media suggest that Huawei is trying to raise a stream of money from royalties.
Nova Y9a, one of the latest Huawei phones to equip MediaTek chips
These additional revenues would not only be used by the Chinese company for tasks of Investigation and developmentbut also to demonstrate to the industry the maturity of its technological capabilities. However, this is not the first time that the firm has tried to do this.
Since trade restrictions hit Huawei more than four years ago, the manufacturer has been trying to squeeze as much of its intellectual property as possible, signing deals with some companies and suing others to extract more revenue.
It should be noted that Huawei’s patents are a very important part of the world we live in. It is estimated that the company owns around 20% of all 5G patents. This reality translates into hundreds of millions of dollars annually in royalties.
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