Silicon Battlefield: Qualcomm unveils new PC Processor, to take on Apple Silicon, Intel CPUs

In a move aimed at capturing a significant share of the personal computer market, Qualcomm has introduced a groundbreaking PC processor, the Snapdragon X, with the aim to take on Apple Silicon, and Intel’s line of laptop CPUs. The announcement came during a company event held in Hawaii on Tuesday, where Qualcomm unveiled its Snapdragon X, featuring an impressive 12 high-performance cores. Qualcomm claims that this new chip boasts performance levels that are up to twice as fast as Intel’s comparable 12-core processor while operating on 68 per cent less power. This development underscores the intensifying competition in the computer processor market. Recent reports indicate that NVIDIA Corp. is actively developing its CPU based on chip designs from ARM Holdings PLC. Additionally, AMD, a long-standing competitor to Intel, is working on a new CPU using ARM’s technology. Qualcomm aims to distinguish itself in this highly competitive landscape with the Snapdragon X, promising a significantly faster performance than its counterparts. The company asserts that this chip can operate at peak speeds 50 per cent higher than Apple’s M2, a processor that Apple has positioned as the leading option in the computer processor market. However, Qualcomm will need to substantiate these ambitious claims if it hopes to gain any traction in the PC market. Intel’s technology, which AMD licenses for its own processors, remains dominant in the industry. To date, only Apple’s proprietary designs have managed to significantly encroach on this standard, recently exceeding a 10 per cent share of industry shipments. In addition to overall improved performance, the new processor boasts features explicitly designed for AI, according to Qualcomm. The chipmaker contends that AI’s full potential will be realized when it extends beyond data centres and into end-user devices such as smartphones and PCs. Notably, NVIDIA is the frontrunner in data centre chips that accelerate AI computing, and its entrance into PC processors is expected to increase competition. Both NVIDIA’s PC offering and the new ARM-based chip from AMD are anticipated as early as 2025. Meanwhile, Intel, a dominant force in the market since the 1980s, finds itself under siege. The company, still one of the world’s largest chip manufacturers, is striving to regain its standing with substantial investments in new technology under the leadership of CEO Pat Gelsinger.