Qualcomm has made quite a splash with its announcement of the Snapdragon Series 8 Gen 3 chip for Android smart phones and the Snapdragon X Elite processor for mobile PCs.
Of the two new platforms, the Snapdragon X Elite processor was the bigger surprise given that up to now Qualcomm’s major focus has been on the smart phone market. If the performance and power consumption numbers the company presented for the X Elite are anything to go by, it promises to be an attractive option for notebooks with its ability to run generative AI models such as ChatGPT locally.
With Intel, AMD, and reportedly Nvidia also developing platforms that run on-device generative AI models, the PC processor market is set to become more competitive than it has ever been over the next couple of years. Close engagement with leading global OEMs and Taiwan notebook and desktop PC ODMs will be critical for success in this environment.
Extensive collaboration with cloud service providers such as Microsoft, AWS, and Google will also be essential to optimize edge-to-cloud integration and reduce costs. So too will be cooperation with software developers to maximize AI and ML (machine learning) application performance and develop new consumer and business use cases.
While the potential for the AI PC is huge, it will take more than great notebook and desktop hardware to drive demand. The ability to create compelling new applications and services that enable consumers and businesses to improve productivity and drive creativity will be even more important.
Long time technology industry fan here in Taiwan.
