Qualcomm and MediaTek appear to have temporarily suspended their respective plans to develop 8-core CPUs for smartphones based on product roadmaps revealed by the companies.

Compatibility among operating systems, applications and 8-core CPUs as well as consumer demand are the major concerns for Qualcomm and MediaTek to discontinue the development of 8-core CPUs, according to industry sources.

Besides, since designs of mainstream operating systems and applications are built on the computing capability of quad-core CPUs, it is debatable as to how far 8-core CPUs could extend the consumer experience, the sources added.

MediaTek also stated that it does not see an urgent need for 8-core devices from its main clients at present. Instead of pushing into the 8-core CPU segment, MediaTek will optimize its resources available to focus on development of value-added services for its current smartphone platforms, said the company.

Samsung Electronics' plans to add an 8-core CPU to its next-generation smartphone will make the company the only vendor catering to the 8-core CPU sector in 2013. But it remains to be see if such efforts will help boost the performance of smartphones or the company's sales in the end market, the sources commented.