Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X processor

© Qualcomm.

Snapdragon X is the name of the long-awaited new generation of ARM processors for PC. Qualcomm says the X moniker will henceforth set the PC platforms apart from the other Snapdragon product categories, mainly the chips used with mobile devices. While Qualcomm has been making PC chips for years, such as the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 installed on Surface devices, these chips are no match for Intel’s Core or AMD’s Ryzen processors. Snapdragon X, delivering next year, will change all that, as it is the first wave of chips produced using technology by Nuvia, a company started by former members of Apple’s chip design team and acquired by Qualcomm in 2021.

The most significant change is based on a new CPU architecture called Oryon, which replaces the Kryo cores and promises “new levels of performance.” Aside from that, the Snapdragon X will include GPU cores of course, and an AI-accelerating neural processing unit (NPU). It will most likely continue to feature a 5G modem. More details about the technology and the new processor’s performance to be revealed at the Snapdragon Summit taking place October 24 to 26.

⇨ Ars Technica, Andrew Cunningham, “Qualcomm will try to have its Apple Silicon moment in PCs with ‘Snapdragon X’.”

2023-10-11