The Oryon Arm-based SoC processors for Windows PCs are getting a rebranding as Qualcomm unveils its Snapdragon X series. The new branding follows the introduction of the Snapdragon 8 processors in 2018, which led to the world’s first 5G-enabled PC. Qualcomm has also incorporated its dedicated AI Neural Processing Unit (NPU) in its mobile PC offerings, another world’s first, in its complete compute platform for PCs. Qualcomm has said that the “X” identifier serves to more clearly indicate that these Snapdragon compute solutions are designated as PC offerings vs. the processors that Qualcomm makes for other applications.
Per Official News Announcement:
“Qualcomm Technologies has been pushing the boundaries of innovation in powering consumer and commercial PC experiences since the introduction of the Snapdragon 8cx compute platform. We pioneered connectivity in computing with the world’s first 5G-enabled PC, introduced the world’s first dedicated neural processing unit (NPU) for artificial intelligence (AI) processing in a laptop, and we continue to lead performance per watt, enabling up to multiple days of battery life on a single charge. Today, I’m excited to debut an all-new naming architecture for our platforms to align with how we are revolutionizing the next generation of PC experiences: the Snapdragon X Series.”
Details about new Snapdragon X branding (per official announcement)
- The X identifier distinguishes our PC platforms from other Snapdragon product categories.
- The premium design celebrates this monumental leap forward in computing, and the user experiences it will enable.
- A clear, simplified tiering structure helps users navigate our platform capabilities from mainstream to premium.
- All while leveraging the global brand equity of Snapdragon.
It has been known for some time that Qualcomm has its sights on targeting Apple’s M1 processors and as Qualcomm unveils its Snapdragon X branding this could be the signal for a forthcoming release of a new competing processor. Qualcomm has said that it will share more about its new lineup at its upcoming Snapdragon Summitt in Maui, Hawaii which is happening October 24-26.
“2024 will be an inflection point for the PC industry, and Snapdragon X compute platforms will deliver next-level performance, AI, connectivity and battery life.
Snapdragon X series platforms build on our years of experience engineering heterogeneous compute architectures across the central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU) and NPU. Now, harnessing our next-generation custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU, a quantum leap forward in performance and power efficiency will anchor Snapdragon X and — when combined with our NPU — will deliver accelerated on-device user experiences for the new era of generative AI.”