Qualcomm Inc. is bringing the powerful technology in its chips for laptops to its chips for smartphones, a quantum leap intended to turbocharge their performance in generative AI processes.
The biggest seller of mobile phone chips said the custom computing technology, named Oryon, will be inserted in Qualcomm’s mobile phone chips for the first time. The technology dates to 2021, when Qualcomm brought on Apple Inc. engineers to design laptop chips. Those chips went on sale this year and are already boosting AI performance in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows.
Additionally, Qualcomm on Monday said it has revamped parts of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip to handle tasks such as generating images and text. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform features custom-designed cores in the CPU, GPU and NPU to dramatically improve speed, efficiency and AI for next-generation flagship smartphones.
Qualcomm is calling Snapdragon 8 Elite “the most powerful and world’s fastest mobile system-on-a-chip ever,” according to a press release. Samsung Electronics, ASUS, Asustek Computer, Vivo, Xiaomi and others will use the new chip, according to Qualcomm. Christopher Patrick, senior vice president and general manager for mobile handsets at Qualcomm, said on X that Snapdragon 8 Elite will offer support to phones for eight years.
Indeed, Oryon ramps up CPU speed 45%. The company said Snapdragon 8 Elite “powers a new era of on-device generative AI, built to handle the complexities of multi-modal AI seamlessly while prioritizing privacy.”
“Qualcomm continues to push its entry into PC using its deep expertise in mobile, delivering on both power and performance metrics while creating an increasingly competitive set of offerings for the rapidly evolving AI era,” Daniel Newman, CEO of The Futurum Group, said in an email. “While leading performance and power doesn’t make it a shoe-in to take share from the x86 incumbents, it is clear that there is a third player in the PC race.”
During the Qualcomm launch, the company also took aim at Intel Corp.’s recently announced Core Ultra Series 2 chips, taking issue with performance claims made by the venerable chipmaker. Qualcomm specifically refuted Intel’s claims about CPU performance, speeds on battery, efficiency and battery life.
Late Tuesday, Qualcomm was at it again. It announced Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU is now powering Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite, state-of-the-art platforms designed to “transform the driving experience with their premium intelligence, advanced safety and automated driving capabilities.”
The Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Snapdragon Ride Elite platforms will be available for sampling in 2025. Technology collaborations are underway with Li Auto and Mercedes-Benz AG, who will feature Snapdragon Elite tier automotive platforms in future commercialized vehicles.
Qualcomm’s GenAI play is just the latest among tech giants to cash in on a technology generally considered the industry’s most-consequential development, both in terms of influence and potential revenue from enterprises and consumers. Earlier this week, Microsoft and CrewAI dove into the agentic AI field, joining the likes of Salesforce Inc. and ServiceNow Inc.
Last week, rivals Intel and AMD Inc. helped form the x86 Ecosystem Advisory Group, a move interpreted by some as a defensive measure against Qualcomm and Arm Holdings. Meanwhile, rumors continue to percolate that Qualcomm is mulling a bid for Intel, something for which Qualcomm has declined comment.
Newman said he doesn’t “put much merit behind” the rumored sale. “I put it at very low odds and, if anything, more of a parts deal than a takeover,” he said.
