The Snapdragon X Elite is a significant bet for Qualcomm as it moves away from the x86 chip architecture used by most Windows PCs, instead using Arm technology. The company believes that the shift to Arm, coupled with the chip's AI capabilities, will revolutionize the PC experience. However, the success of the chip will depend on the computers built around it, which are not due to ship until mid-2024. Qualcomm's CEO, Cristiano Amon, is optimistic about the chip's potential, stating that it is faster than anything from Apple, AMD, or Intel and that it will change the competitive landscape.
Key takeaways:
- Qualcomm is launching the Snapdragon X Elite, a powerful system-on-a-chip for laptops running Microsoft’s Windows operating system. The chip is designed to push the envelope of the tasks a PC can perform while enabling outstanding battery life.
- The Snapdragon X Elite can provide up to twice the performance of Intel chips at the same power consumption level and also beats Apple’s M2 Max chip in single-threaded performance, according to Qualcomm.
- The chip is part of a broader trend of incorporating AI capabilities directly into devices. It is designed to run generative AI algorithms on the device, not in the cloud, which could lead to a profusion of new capabilities.
- Despite the technical achievements, the success of the Snapdragon X Elite will depend on the computers built around it, which aren’t due to ship until the middle of next year, and on the efficiency of the Windows operating system on Qualcomm’s chips.