Taiwanese company MediaTek has signed an MoU with the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) to collaborate on 6G technology research.

The research and development effort will be part of Singapore’s national 6G program. MediaTek is actively participating in global 6G technology research initiatives and is preparing for the standardization of the global 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

6G technology aims to achieve theoretical speeds of up to 1 terabit per second, compared to 5G’s current theoretical maximum of 20 gigabits per second, making it 50 times faster. The new technology will utilize even higher frequencies, enabling more efficient network throughput and faster response times.

The rollout of 6G will be metals intensive and require the build-out of new infrastructure globally.  This will require a vast array of critical materials ranging from silicon used in microchips to germanium used in fibre optic cables.