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Qualcomm unveils smartphone chip with laptop-level capabilities

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Qualcomm unveils smartphone chip with laptop-level capabilities

Qualcomm unveiled a more powerful processor that is designed to bring laptop-level capabilities to smartphones, helping the devices take advantage of new artificial intelligence (AI) tools.

The latest version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon line-up will include its in-house Oryon processor design, the company said Monday at an event in Hawaii. The chip will be 45 per cent faster than the previous model and use less energy, Qualcomm said.

Qualcomm’s products dominate the market for mobile devices that use the Android operating system. That makes the company’s technology updates a vital part of efforts to compete against Apple by many of the world’s smartphone makers.

Qualcomm’s decision to shift back toward its own processor designs is part of move by chief executive officer Cristiano Amon to invest more in home-grown technology. The Snapdragon line-up had become more reliant on the designs of Arm Holdings under previous leadership.

Oryon, developed by a team of engineers that Amon brought in with Qualcomm’s acquisition of start-up Nuvia, is already a central part of chips that the company sells for laptops.

Those machines have been branded “AI PCs” and software maker Microsoft has embraced them as a way to spotlight new artificial intelligence capabilities. They also represent a threat to Intel’s dominance in personal computer processor business.
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