- At Computex 2024, Qualcomm confirmed that Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus will be launched with 22 different Copilot+ PCs.
- The company also made remarks about the future of generative AI and how its Snapdragon X Hexagon NPU is more energy-efficient than its rivals.
- Last but not least, Qualcomm also announced a new AI hub for developers that will make it easier for them to make apps that take advantage of AI functions. The kit will be available later this month for pre-order.
Qualcomm’s keynote at Computex 2024, which was delivered by CEO Christian Amon, mostly revolved around its collaboration with Microsoft.
Right before Computex 2024, Qualcomm announced the new Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus chips, which are capable of delivering certain AI tasks without an internet connection. Microsoft then made a deal with Qualcomm to use these chips in its new Surface laptop and Surface Pro tablet.
However, this is what we already knew before the event. Now, at Computex 2024, both companies i.e. Qualcomm and Microsoft, shed a little more light on their collaboration, while Qualcomm gave us a glimpse of its future plans for the Snapdragon series.
3 Important Highlights from Qualcomm’s Keynote
Let’s deep dive into Qualcomm’s Computex 2024 announcements:
Snapdragon & Copilot+ PCs
The keynote started with a short Copilot+ PC sizzle reel that was entirely shot on Snapdragon. The concept of the video was “The PC Reborn.” This was indeed a smart way to announce the new range of PCs that will have both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips and Microsoft’s Copilot+.
It was also confirmed that the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus will be launched with 22 different Copilot+ PCs, which will consist of multiple form factors, from laptops to tablets to convertibles.
Then Qualcomm played another video featuring Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella where he confirmed the collaboration between the two companies and said how they’re together going to build the “fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever.”
Future of Generative AI
Qualcomm also addressed the future of generative AI in its keynote and shared a video, giving us a glimpse of how AI assistants will soon be able to help us with even the most mundane daily tasks.
To do so, the company has come up with Snapdragon X Hexagon NPU. With 45 TOPS, it’s slated to be the world’s fastest NPU for laptops.
Addressing the growing energy requirements of AI—something I talked about in detail in my round-up of Nvidia’s Computex announcements—Qualcomm drew a parallel between the Snapdragon X Elite XIE-80-100 and the MacBook Pro M3 and Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. It showed that Snapdragon provides much better power per watt compared to the other two.
AI Hub For Developers
Qualcomm announced a new AI hub for developers. This will make it easier for them to make apps that take advantage of AI functions.
The Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows will be available later this month for pre-order.
Qualcomm’s Competition
Although Qualcomm’s latest chips are undoubtedly impressive, it’s not the only one making significant moves in the CPU & AI chip space.
For example, AMD has launched a new series of AI chips (Ryzen AI 300), which will be used to create a new lineup of Copilot+ PCs. The same goes for Intel and its Lunar Lake AI chipset.
However, since these laptops are yet to be launched (Ryzen AI 300 PCs will be launched in July, whereas Intel Lunar Lake laptops will come out later this year), Qualcomm will get a lead. But it won’t be for long, and it will soon be competing with two of its biggest rivals.
Nevertheless, Qualcomm’s achievements are significant because unlike AMD and Intel, Qualcomm hasn’t really been considered as major a computing company as those we’ve been talking about here.
Lastly, Amon hinted at a possible partnership with Odesza at the end of his keynote, which will help Qualcomm venture into the gaming technology industry. This might help Snapdragon chips maintain their position even when AMD and Intel release theirs.
