Global fabless semiconductor giant MediaTek sets up S$34m joint research lab with SUTD

This press release was jointly issued by the MediaTek and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).

• MediaTek, a global leader in wireless communications and semiconductors, has established a joint research laboratory with the Singapore University of Technology and Design to advance communications and connectivity through AI-powered, satellite-connected, and greener wireless networks. 
• The partnership, MediaTek’s first in Singapore, represents a total investment of over S$34 million to accelerate 6G research and prototype development.

Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), the world’s first Design AI university, and global fabless semiconductor leader MediaTek, have launched a joint research laboratory with a total investment of over S$34 million to accelerate the development of 6G technology in Singapore.

The MediaTek-SUTD Joint Laboratory brings together SUTD’s research expertise and MediaTek’s industrial reach to address some of the most pressing challenges in communications: non-terrestrial networks, AI-native radio access, and the drive to make telecommunications infrastructure more sustainable. While wireless networks now underpin everything, from smartphone video calls to autonomous vehicle communications, even the most advanced 5G systems have their limits. The next generation of connectivity promises to push far beyond them. With 6G commercialisation targeted for around 2030, the MediaTek-SUTD Joint Laboratory will close the gap between theoretical research and industrial application, strengthening foundational research in this area while developing prototypes.

The joint laboratory is part of the ongoing collaboration between SUTD and MediaTek on 6G technology research, which began in June 2024 with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This collaboration builds on SUTD’s central role in developing Singapore’s 6G ecosystem through the Future Communications Research and Development Programme (FCP), a national strategy launched in 2021 by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) and the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) to advance the nation’s communications and connectivity infrastructure. Hosted and led by SUTD, the programme reflects the University’s ethos of blending design thinking with technological innovation. Work under the MediaTek-SUTD Joint Laboratory will commence in April 2026, with research projects expected to run over the next three to five years.

As the world’s fifth largest fabless semiconductor company, MediaTek brings proprietary data, engineering rigour, and deep roots in the global chipset market. Its established R&D presence in Singapore and robust global innovation network make it the ideal industry partner to advance communications research and accelerate the development of 6G technologies.

Building on FCP’s foundations, SUTD’s O-RAN Alliance and AI-RAN Alliance-endorsed laboratories already provide a proven platform for translating ideas into deployable systems. The MediaTek-SUTD Joint Laboratory takes this a step further by integrating MediaTek’s expertise in wireless modems and AI chipsets directly into early-stage co-innovation.

The MediaTek-SUTD Joint Laboratory also carries national significance. The technical standards that govern how 6G networks will be built are shaped through international bodies like 3GPP, and countries that contribute credible research have influence in this area.

With its open innovation environment and strategic yet diplomatic position as an international business hub, Singapore is both an active participant and a natural bridge-builder in the global race to 6G commercialisation.