Qualcomm is reportedly gearing up to announce new additions to its Snapdragon X series chipset lineup next month. Initially launched in April, the Snapdragon X series has positioned itself as a leading processor for consumer laptops, particularly those designed to meet the specifications for Copilot+ PCs. This distinction is largely due to the Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU) within these chipsets, capable of handling 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS). To qualify as a Copilot+ PC, devices must meet a minimum of 40 TOPS.
Upcoming Launch at IFA 2024
During the Snapdragon India event held earlier this week, Qualcomm showcased its X series chipsets and introduced the Snapdragon 4s Gen 2 mobile platform, which supports 5G connectivity. Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Compute and Gaming at Qualcomm, hinted at the possibility of new X series chipsets being unveiled in September. This timing suggests a potential announcement at the upcoming Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) 2024 event in Berlin, a major consumer electronics trade show.
According to FoneArena, Qualcomm may reveal new stock-keeping units (SKUs) within the existing Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite lineup rather than entirely new chip models. The current Snapdragon X Elite range includes SKUs such as X1E-78-100, X1E-80-100, and X1E-84-100, each offering slight variations in performance and efficiency. The anticipated new SKUs could provide additional options for device manufacturers looking for specific performance characteristics.
Future Developments
In addition to potential announcements in September, Qualcomm is also expected to reveal the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 mobile platform at its annual event in October. The upcoming chipset will feature Qualcomm’s in-house Oryon CPU and a dedicated NPU. While it may only offer modest improvements in CPU performance, a significant enhancement in the efficiency of the Adreno 750 GPU is anticipated.
These developments highlight Qualcomm’s ongoing efforts to expand and refine its chipset offerings, catering to both high-performance computing and mobile platforms. As the technology landscape continues to evolve, the company’s innovations in AI processing and power efficiency are likely to play a critical role in shaping future devices.
