Qualcomm Challenges Intel and AMD with New AI PC Chip Launch

Qualcomm ramps up challenge to Intel and AMD with latest AI PC chip

A view of the logo of Qualcomm at the Mobile World Congress 2024.Ramon Costa | SOPA Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Qualcomm launched a new PC processor on Wednesday as it looks to capitalize on electronics makers' desire to put artificial intelligence on their devices. The move ramps up Qualcomm's efforts to challenge the dominance of Intel in the PC processor market at a time when the latter is facing mounting challenges. Qualcomm took the wraps off the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core at the IFA conference in Berlin, Germany. The processor, designed for PCs running Microsoft's Windows operating system, promises to power AI processes with a long battery life. The latest chips expand Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Series for PCs, which it launched last year. The U.S. chip giant said the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core is designed for PCs costing as low as $700 as it looks to expand its semiconductors to more devices. Qualcomm has traditionally designed chips that are used in the smartphones of many of the world's biggest players, including Samsung. But the company stepped up its PC efforts this year when Microsoft announced a Surface Laptop and a Surface Pro tablet with Qualcomm's X Series chips that can run some AI tasks without an internet connection. Microsoft calls these Copilot+ PCs.

Qualcomm introduces latest AI PC processor (NASDAQ:QCOM)

Qualcomm Technologies (NASDAQ:QCOM) on Wednesday introduced the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor as the U.S. chip giant broadens its push into the AI PC space, currently reined by Intel (INTC) and AMD (AMD). CEO Cristiano Amon took the stage ahead of IFA conference in Berlin, Germany to announce the expansion of its Snapdragon X Series portfolio, enabling OEMs to offer Copilot+ PCs in the $700 to $900 range. Qualcomm (QCOM) ramped up its PC efforts this year, after Microsoft (MSFT) announced its new Surface PCs powered by Qualcomm's X Series chips. Microsoft calls these Copilot+ PCs. The latest Snapdragon X Plus 8-core processor will be available from Acer, ASUS, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, with select devices available for purchase today. At the heart of the new processor is a 45 TOPS NPU of AI processing power that brings Copilot+ to more devices. The 8-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU powering this Snapdragon X Plus platform enables fast responsiveness and efficiency, delivering 61% faster CPU performance. "With Snapdragon X Plus 8-core, we are now bringing to more users these transformative AI experiences, and the best-in-class performance and unprecedented battery life of our power efficient custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU. We're proud to be working with leading global OEMs and retail partners to expand our portfolio and enable enterprise customers and consumers," said Cristiano Amon.