Qualcomm to take on Apple Silicon with their new X-series chips for PCs, to launch in 2024

Qualcomm has recently announced the Snapdragon X series, which will complement its existing Snapdragon 8cx processors. In a blog post, the tech giant revealed that the forthcoming Snapdragon X series will be powered by a customized version of the existing Oryon CPUs, promising a substantial boost in both performance and power efficiency. For those not familiar with it, the Oryon CPU was initially unveiled last November, with Qualcomm’s plan to integrate it into a wide range of products, including PCs, smartphones, digital cockpits, extended reality, and advanced driver assistance solutions. The press release also mentions that Qualcomm will modify the well-known Snapdragon fireball logo with the Snapdragon X branding, making it easier for users to distinguish between mobile and desktop processors. Historically, Qualcomm licensed architecture for its CPUs from ARM, making some adjustments and branding it as ‘Kryo.’ However, Qualcomm’s acquisition of the chip design startup Nuvia may empower the company to create its own chips from the ground up. This development could position Qualcomm to compete with System-on-Chip (SoC) manufacturers like Apple, which has been designing its own chips for several years now. While the existing Snapdragon 8cx chips already challenge Intel’s i5 offerings, it appears that the Snapdragon X series will aim to deliver even better performance, potentially competing with performance-oriented chips like the Apple M2 or Intel’s i9 series. Qualcomm is expected to introduce the Snapdragon X series alongside its upcoming mobile chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, at the company’s annual Snapdragon Summit on October 24.