Qualcomm’s new Oryon CPU

© Qualcomm Technologies.

At its Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm announced Oryon, a new CPU that is primarily intended for Windows-on-ARM PCs. Windows PC and smartphone manufacturers can try out the Oryon CPU starting in 2023, with production slated for 2024. It’s not a full-fledged chip, but rather a CPU component like the current Kryo, meant to be integrated into a Snapdragon SoC (system on chip), alongside a GPU and other processors. Oryon is based on technology from Nuvia, a Qualcomm-acquired company started in 2019 by former Apple chip designers. In a short press release introducing the new brand, Qualcomm says it wants to deliver “a new level of performance,” to finally give some wings to the Windows-on-ARM PC market. While significantly more powerful processors will certainly help, it won’t be enough, not without a truly expanded ecosystem of native ARM64 applications.

⇨ The Verge, Dan Seifert, “Qualcomm has a new chip brand.”

2022-11-16