A new chipset for smartphones, a completely redesigned processor for laptops, and a software framework for terminal side AI are all planned by Qualcomm.
Qualcomm may hold something that will put significant competitive pressure on Intel, AMD, and even Apple.
The development pattern in the field of computer chips is increasingly centered around the concept of client-side AI, where AI processing is carried out locally on devices such as laptops or smartphones, rather than in the cloud.
Now, Qualcomm has unveiled an interesting product portfolio, along with some eye-catching claims that its competitors should pay attention to. These new products announced at the Qualcomm Annual Technology Summit have the ability to change the balance of power in the PC industry.
Taking advantage of CEO Cristiano Amon's keynote speech at the summit, Qualcomm provided preliminary details on various products: a new chipset for smartphones, a completely redesigned processor for laptops, a software framework for terminal side AI, and even a cross device communication and collaboration solution aimed at challenging Apple's intuitive ecosystem advantages.
The discussion on new platforms related to smartphones and laptops largely revolves around two aspects: firstly, AI computing, and secondly, the demand for local processing capabilities for implementing AI computing. Qualcomm refers to the combination of its CPU core, graphics IP, and Hexagon NPU (neural processing unit) as the "Qualcomm AI Engine", attempting to demonstrate the value of each computing block on a chip for the overall AI performance narrative.
Chips are becoming increasingly powerful, but their power consumption is decreasing.
The most eye-catching and potentially disruptive product is Qualcomm's announced Snapdragon X Elite laptop chipset.
Snapdragon X Elite is Qualcomm's first integrated OryonCPU core product, designed by a team acquired by Qualcomm after its acquisition of Nuvia in 2021. Oryon CPU aims to achieve high performance and compete with AMD and Intel's most powerful products, while still maintaining the energy efficiency of the Arm architecture it is based on. Qualcomm claims that under the same system category and power consumption, the 12 core X Elite chip will run at twice the speed of Intel processors, or achieve the same performance as Intel chips with a 60% reduction in power consumption.
The integrated graphics processor of Snapdragon X Elite has also been greatly improved. Similarly, Qualcomm claims that compared to the best graphics processors of Intel's current generation, the Snapdragon X Elite performs 80% -100% higher at the same power consumption and 70% lower at the same performance.
Qualcomm even compared it with the Apple M2 processor, stating that in terms of single core workloads, the Snapdragon X Elite has a 30% lower power consumption compared to the Apple M2 processor, with similar performance.
If these data are valid, it will mean that Qualcomm may have a product that can compete strongly with Intel, AMD, and even Apple. Qualcomm's bold claim will require independent testing, actual performance, and experience measurement verification when the system is launched in 2024.
Suddenly, AI is everywhere
Due to the emphasis on running AI on local devices for the rest of this year and 2024, Qualcomm is also eager to showcase the capabilities of new laptop chips in this area. The company claims that the operational performance of the Hexagon NPU can reach up to 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS). By comparison, AMD's latest Ryzen AI claims to achieve performance of 10 trillion operations per second, and there are preliminary indications that Intel's" Meteor Lake" It will also reach the same level.
Qualcomm showcased AI application demonstrations, including stable spread image generation, image expansion (automatic expansion of the surrounding area of an existing photo), and even an AI assistant tool based on a large language model (designed to simulate the functionality of ChatGPT), all of which run locally on laptops without the need for cloud services. These demos leave a deep impression, but since the software ecosystem of these tools is just starting in the PC field, it is not yet known what practical experiences these experiences can bring to end users.
Since Qualcomm first attempted to enter the PC chipset field in 2016, the company has shown some interesting advantages compared to Intel's deep-rooted leadership position. Snapdragon laptops have amazing battery life and the industry's best combination of connectivity (including Wi Fi, cellular network, Bluetooth). However, due to the use of a "small" CPU, it is not suitable for high-intensity Microsoft Windows environments, and its Arm architecture means that many applications must run in simulated, slow states, which affects the performance of Snapdragon laptops.
In the past few years, Microsoft has improved the compatibility between Windows and ARM based chips. If Snapdragon X Elite chips are as fast and efficient as Qualcomm claims, there will be a real reshuffle in the laptop market.
Microsoft, as well as original equipment manufacturers including HP, Lenovo Group, and Dell Technologies, are all eager to differentiate their systems and, more importantly, to compete with Apple's MacBook series. Any product with high performance, longer battery life, and excellent AI acceleration has the opportunity to succeed.