Saudi oil giant Aramco has sealed a collaboration agreement with US-based GCT Semiconductor Holding, a leading designer and supplier of advanced 5G and 4G semiconductor solutions, thus setting the stage for a strategic collaboration that would further develop the 4G/5G ecosystem in Saudi Arabia for both mission-critical and public safety networks.
Announcing the deal, Aramco said it is aimed at designing and co-developing chipsets and modules tailored for LTE, 5G and the NTN spectrum in order to support the localisation of wireless end-user devices and IoT manufacturing throughout the kingdom.
"We look forward to working with Aramco and leveraging our advanced 4G and 5G capabilities with future-focused AI-driven modem features to help develop the local ecosystem and provide reliable and fast communication for their key applications in Saudi Arabia and the broader region," said John Schlaefer, the CEO of GCT Semiconductor.
The GCT Semiconductor, he stated, will help further develop the 4G/5G ecosystem in the kingdom.
Aramco is one of the largest companies in the world based on market capitalisation. It created Aramco Digital in early 2023 as part of a move to diversify its operations and foster new technologies.
GCT is a leading fabless designer and supplier of advanced 5G and 4G LTE semiconductor solutions. Its market-proven solutions have enabled fast and reliable 4G LTE connectivity to numerous commercial devices such as CPEs, mobile hotspots, routers, M2M applications and smartphones, etc., for the world’s top wireless carriers, said the statement.
GCT’s system-on-chip solutions integrate radio frequency, baseband modem and digital signal processing functions, therefore offering complete 4G and 5G platform solutions with small form factors, low power consumption, high performance, high reliability, and cost-effectiveness, it added.