In the early days, MediaTek chips were known for the closed nature of their source files. Manufacturers bought them and used them as is. There was no means of tweaking and customizing them. MediaTek is changing that, with their new Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture. It is a project that provides phone manufacturers with access to the source files of the company’s high-end 5G Dimensity chips, so they can tweak and customize multiprocessing, AI, multimedia, cameras, and connectivity to their taste for each device.
Opening up the architecture of its high-end 5G Dimensity 1200 chips will allow device makers to tweak their high-end 5G smartphones for custom experiences, so they stand out. The phone brands that make use of the chips in this programme will be able to “customize features for cameras, displays, graphics, artificial intelligence (AI) processing units (APUs), sensors and connectivity sub-systems.”
Ordinarily, manufacturers purchase chips and layer their own custom algorithms and optimizations on top of them. This means there are limits to what customizations can be done. But with the Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture, manufacturers get to execute the optimizations and customizations right in the chips. Pretty much, we are looking at customizable chips here.
What Chips Support MediaTek’s Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture?
The project has been introduced with Dimensity 1200 chips, and devices powered by it have been in the market since July 2021. For example, some smartphones using the Dimensity 1200 chipset include: Redmi K40 Gaming, Xiaomi 11T 5G, OnePlus Nord 2 5G, Poco F3 GT, Vivo X70 Pro 5G, OPPO Reno7 Pro 5G. There are talks that the Dimensity 810 5G chipset will also feature the Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture. Depending on how successful this scheme goes, we will likely see more chips and smartphones supported.
Dimensity 5G chips currently include models like: Dimensity 9000, 8100, 8000, 1300, 1200, 1100, 900, 810, 800, and 700 series. All of these are possible candidates for inclusion in the Open Resource Architecture collaboration with phone makers. Note that non-5G, non-Dimensity chips from MediaTek are not included (yet) in this arrangement. The collaboration covers only Dimensity 5G chipsets.
Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture In Summary
In essence, each phone maker can customize a Dimensity chip, replacing MediaTek’s built-in optimizations with their own. This includes performance, AI and camera algorithms, display colour calibrations, and so much more. Customizing at chip level will even bring phone makers closer to playing at the level that Apple and Samsung do (they make their own chips and so have greater leeway to design display, camera, and performance optimizations).
Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture programme will have similar access to customize the chips to their specific needs. As such, it is possible to have ten different phones using a particular Dimensity chip, and yet the chip in each of them will be different, if the manufacturer has customized it. You can imagine the possibilities that the Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture open up.
At the end of the day, it will depend on how far and how daring each individual phone maker participating in the Dimensity 5G Open Resource Architecture programme is. But as a consumer, you can expect interesting new multimedia, photography, and AI computing performances from your favourite phone manufacturer. Another benefit of MediaTek opening up their architecture this way is that Dimensity-powered smartphones can enjoy better battery life and better software update support, depending on how each manufacturer chooses to play.
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