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Bloomberg Tech
Bloomberg Tech

Aug 31, 2026 · 22 min

Nvidia and MediaTek build a faster path to custom AI chips

Special Edition: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang & MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai Talk New Partnership

The partnership could reshape how custom accelerators connect to GPUs, CPUs, memory, and networking across increasingly complex AI systems.

3 key takeaways
  1. 1Nvidia is investing $3.5 billion in MediaTek while expanding a partnership around custom AI infrastructure.
  2. 2NVLink Fusion is designed to help customers integrate MediaTek systems-on-chip and custom accelerators with Nvidia GPUs.
  3. 3The companies identify memory, substrates, networking, and suppliers as critical constraints on scaling AI factories.

Don't miss

Jensen Huang and Rick Tsai address whether Nvidia’s investment could amount to circular financing, distinguishing it from independent business and supply-chain funding.

The brief

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai discuss a $3.5 billion investment and an expanded partnership linking MediaTek systems-on-chip and custom accelerators with Nvidia GPUs.

The centerpiece is NVLink Fusion, which aims to shorten the path from customer demand to custom AI hardware by connecting specialized accelerators with Nvidia’s broader platform.

Huang frames custom XPUs as an established part of modern computing, while Tsai describes how the partnership could help customers develop and deploy them faster.

The conversation moves beyond chips to the AI factory’s harder dependencies: HBM, networking, substrates, memory, and the global supplier base needed to assemble complete systems.

The standout tension is whether Nvidia’s investment looks like circular financing; the executives instead emphasize independent businesses, bond funding, and supply-chain investment.

Together, the companies present NVLink Fusion as a way to make custom silicon compatible with a larger Nvidia-centered architecture spanning edge AI, PCs, and data centers.

Featuring

Jen-Hsun HuangJen-Hsun HuangRTRick Tsai

Mentioned

NVLink FusionNVLink FusionMediaTekMediaTekXXPUBloomberg Audio StudiosBloomberg Audio Studios

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Nvidia and MediaTek build a faster path to custom AI chips | PodLume