Qualcomm (QCOM, Financial) has introduced a new chip designed to power PCs capable of running the latest artificial intelligence (AI) software, with prices for PCs equipped with this chip expected to start at $600. Announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2025), the Snapdragon X platform comprises an 8-core Oryon CPU, graphics components, and a dedicated AI chip. These chips will support Microsoft's (MSFT) Copilot+ software. Notably, PC manufacturers like Dell (DELL) plan to release laptops based on this new technology in early 2025.
Qualcomm's CEO, Cristiano Amon, has been actively working to reduce the company's reliance on the smartphone chip market by expanding into the PC market. Although Qualcomm has been dominant in the high-end smartphone market, it has yet to significantly impact the market share of PC chip giants Intel and AMD.
In addition to laptops, Qualcomm's clients will offer new compact desktops based on the Snapdragon X. The company is also launching a range of more powerful components, the Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus. A key selling point for Qualcomm is the extended battery life of devices using its chips. Designed for devices powered by small batteries, Qualcomm claims its chips are more efficient than those from established competitors.
Recently, Intel released new chips purported to extend battery life, but Qualcomm argues that its chips maintain full power even when laptops are unplugged, unlike devices using rival processors that need to slow down.
