Google has nearly 100 TPU customers, Oracle will resell them, and MediaTek's Q4 guide depends on it
The newly opened TPU business is the program behind MediaTek's first data-center chip, and MediaTek's fourth-quarter guide needs a 41–52% revenue step-up in November and December to cash it. SK hynix and Samsung stand to gain a direct Google memory channel; Micron appears nowhere in the reporting on it.
Vincent Jiangtwo-minute read
Google has turned its tensor processing units, the AI chips it designs in-house, into a business beyond its own walls: nearly 100 TPU customers, Oracle−0.87% — Oracle, down 0.87 percent today reselling the chips through its cloud next year, and system sales that helped lift Google+2.52% — Google, up 2.52 percent today Cloud's third quarter, the Korea Herald reported on November 11 12. MediaTek−3.51% — MediaTek, down 3.51 percent today, Taiwan's largest chip designer, sits inside the program: Google works with it on the TPU 8t 1, an assignment surfaced in late October by Broadcom+5.45% — Broadcom, up 5.45 percent today, Google's main TPU development partner (The Inference, October 27).
The guide rests on one ramp
MediaTek's fourth-quarter guide turns the dependency into arithmetic. NT$210.1–221.8 billion of revenue, up 40–48% on the year, needs November and December to average 41–52% above October's NT$55.0 billion, the hurdle The Inference laid out yesterday 3. October grew 5.8% on the year while Taiwan's AI server assemblers doubled their sales 34. The guide leans on US$2.5 billion of Q4 revenue from a first custom AI accelerator, an ASIC built for a single customer and shipping in small volumes only since September 35 (The Inference, October 30).
October sales growth split Taiwan's tech chain: AI racks doubled, MediaTek grew 5.8%
Taiwan's AI server builders doubled; MediaTek's phone-heavy mix grew 5.8%
Data
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Gigabyte | 136.7% |
| Wistron | 117.6% |
| Quanta | 104% |
| Accton | 91.2% |
| MediaTek | 5.8% |
| Largan | -7% |
November and December must run 41% to 52% above October's NT$55.0 billion
- MediaTek monthly revenue
- Estimate
Data
| MediaTek monthly revenue | |
|---|---|
| October 2026 | NT$55B |
| Nov–Dec, low guide (estimate) | NT$77.6B |
| Nov–Dec, high guide (estimate) | NT$83.6B |
The ramp is bought with margin
The 2027 ambition is about US$16 billion of accelerator revenue, near a fifth of the AI accelerator market; Taiwan News puts the same year at NT$525.8 billion 567. A second ASIC customer is confirmed, but volume starts in 2028 67. Until then the ramp costs margin: gross profit is guided down to 45%, from 46.3% in the third quarter, and inventory has climbed to NT$153.5 billion, 127 days from 102 3.
Google takes the memory buying back
The same report rewrites who buys high-bandwidth memory (HBM). Under Broadcom's model the design partner also handles the memory purchases; Google buying directly could reduce its costs, which points to a margin sitting inside the design partner's price today 12.
SK hynix−3.92% — SK hynix, down 3.92 percent today has proposed co-designing custom HBM for future TPUs and holds agreements with 14 customers covering more than half its 2027–28 capacity; Samsung's July memorandum with Broadcom is potentially worth more than $200 billion through 2030, across several businesses rather than confirmed HBM orders 12. Counterpoint expects HBM demand for custom AI server chips to rise 35-fold between 2024 and 2028 1. Micron−2.50% — Micron, down 2.50 percent today, the US memory maker, appears nowhere in the reporting on Google's new direct buying.
December 10 decides which MediaTek is in
One program is not yet a franchise, and the monthly sales print due December 10 decides which MediaTek is in 3. The other watch sits with Google: the next HBM order book forms wherever Google buys its memory directly.
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