Qualcomm announces Snapdragon X series, a new generation of PC chips with AI and 5G capabilities

Qualcomm, the leading manufacturer of mobile processors, has unveiled its latest innovation for the PC industry: the Snapdragon X series. The new chips are designed to offer high performance, low power consumption, and advanced features such as on-device artificial intelligence and 5G connectivity.

The Snapdragon X series is the successor to the Snapdragon 8cx series, which was launched in 2021 as Qualcomm’s flagship platform for Windows laptops and tablets. The new chips will use the Oryon CPU technology, which Qualcomm acquired from Nuvia earlier this year. Oryon is a custom ARM-based architecture that promises to deliver up to three times more performance per watt than existing solutions.

One of the key features of the Snapdragon X series is the inclusion of a neural processing unit (NPU), which will enable faster and more efficient processing of AI tasks on the device. This will allow users to enjoy enhanced experiences such as voice recognition, natural language processing, computer vision, and augmented reality. Qualcomm claims that its NPU will rival Apple’s Neural Engine, which is integrated into its M-series chips for Macs and iPads.

Another advantage of the Snapdragon X series is the support for 5G connectivity, which will enable users to access ultra-fast and reliable internet speeds on their devices. Qualcomm says that its 5G modem will offer superior performance and coverage than competing solutions, and will also support Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2 standards.

Qualcomm has not revealed the exact specifications or launch date of the Snapdragon X series, but it has teased that it will be coming “soon”. According to some rumors, Qualcomm will initially release three variants of the Snapdragon X series, codenamed SC8350, SC8370, and SC8380. These chips are expected to have eight, ten, and twelve CPU cores respectively, with the SC8380 being the most powerful model with eight performance cores and four efficiency cores .