Qualcomm has unveiled a new processor for Windows laptops that takes on rivals from Apple and Intel, as the company accelerates its long-standing presence in the PC market.
The new Qualcomm processor called Snapdragon X Elite has 12 high-performance cores and is capable of processing data at a speed of 3.8 MHz. The company developed the processor using a 4nm manufacturing process and is ready to handle the LPDDR5x memory standard.
The company says the chip is twice as fast as a 12-core Intel processor, while using 68% less power.
This announcement is the latest sign of increased competition in the computer processor market. NVIDIA uses Arm chip designs to develop its CPUs.
AMD is also developing a new CPU using technology from Arm, Intel's old competitor in computer processors.
Qualcomm is looking forward with the Snapdragon X Elite To impress the industry with fast performance, the company claims that the new chip runs 50 percent faster at peak times compared to Apple's M2 chip, which is described as the leading computer processor on the market.
The processor is capable of managing two 5K external displays or three UHD displays at the same time.
“With this processor, we position ourselves as a new leader in mobile computing processors with our commitment to deliver industry-leading performance at low cost and low power consumption,” said Akash Palkhewala, CFO, Qualcomm Incorporated.
Intel's technology still dominates the industry, while Apple's in-house design has made significant progress and its share of industry shipments has exceeded 10%. Qualcomm must honor these guarantees if it wants to move forward in the PC market.
And Snapdragon X Elite stems From CEO Cristiano Amon's 2021 purchase of Nuvia, a startup founded by Gerard Williams, a former Apple executive.
Nuvia introduces new Qualcomm chipset designs, helping reduce reliance on standard Arm technology.
In addition to the general performance benefits, the new processor also has features specifically designed for artificial intelligence via the Hexagram Neural Processing Unit, capable of performing 45 trillion operations per second.
Qualcomm said artificial intelligence will only reach its full potential when it moves from data centers to user devices such as mobile phones and computers.
Qualcomm separately announced new versions of its Snapdragon 8 smartphone series.