Qualcomm has debuted a new flagship platform, the Snapdragon X Elite series. Built for artificial intelligence and capable of running generative models with over 13 billion parameters, Qualcomm claims it offers “4.5 times faster AI processing power than competitors.” Described as “the most powerful computing processor it has ever created for the PC,” Qualcomm says the chipset is also one of the most efficient, “with up to multiple days of battery life.” Leading OEMs are expected to begin shipping models with the new processors in mid-2024.

“Qualcomm and its Snapdragon chips are officially back inside the PC,” writes PCWorld of Snapdragon X Elite, “the flagship platform of its Snapdragon X family that leverages its Oryon CPU core, and promises to double — yes, double — the performance of some of the most popular 13th-gen Core chips from AMD and Intel.”

According to The Verge, Qualcomm “claims its Snapdragon X Elite processor will beat Apple, Intel, and AMD” in terms of performance, a lofty claim for which Qualcomm provided some supporting charts that the news outlet proceeds to pick apart.

“Clearly, this chip is not a potato, and I imagine that it will offer a huge step up in performance from the Snapdragon PC chips that we’ve seen in the past,” The Verge writes, asking “will it ‘beat’ Apple’s M2? I guess we’ll have to see.”

The X Elite series is being built to the 4nm spec and includes 136GB of memory. “As AI transforms how we interact with our PCs, Snapdragon X Elite is designed to support the intelligent and power-intensive tasks of the future that will enable powerful productivity, rich creativity, and immersive entertainment experiences from anywhere,” Qualcomm explains in its news announcement, released at the Snapdragon Summit.

“Qualcomm sees Oryon first going into PCs (as the engine of the Snapdragon X Elite platform) but then moving into smartphones, cars, ‘extended reality’ devices, and more,” PCWorld writes, sourcing Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon, adding “Amon said that Qualcomm is becoming a ‘connected processing’ company.”

In addition to announcing the X Elite for PCs and laptops, Qualcomm also unveiled “and a new chip for high-end Android phones called Snapdragon Series 8 Gen 3,” reports CNBC, noting that “the enhanced AI feature on the new Qualcomm phone chip is a sign that AI is becoming a new battleground for smartphone features and sales.”

Related:
Apple Is Crashing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite Party with the M3 Chip, Tom’s Guide, 10/25/23
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite Chip Attracts Unprecedented PC Partnerships, PCWorld, 10/25/23
Qualcomm CEO on New Chip: AI ‘Evolving Different’ Than Cloud, Yahoo! Finance, 10/25/23
DaVinci Resolve on Arm: Qualcomm Delivers Hollywood’s Most Popular Editing App, Windows Central, 10/25/23
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 Moves AI Out of the Cloud and onto Your Phone, The Verge, 10/24/23