Qualcomm is developing low-cost versions of Snapdragon chips for Windows

There are reports showing that Qualcomm is still trying to compete with Intel, AMD and even Apple to gain the upper hand in the new and potential ARM chip-powered PC market.

Famous technology analyst Ming-Chi Kuo recently posted a post on his Medium blog, claiming that PC models running Windows 11 Copilot+ with Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon expected shipment of around two million laptops by the end of 2024. Kuo also claims that by 2025, the number of PCs using the Snapdragon X series is expected to increase by 100 to 200% compared to 2024.

In fact, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Acer, and Asus all began shipping new laptops with these chips starting in June. Qualcomm has also confirmed that Snapdragon processors The company's X Elite will be equipped inside many PC models in all segments and brands in the future.

Qualcomm is developing low-cost versions of Snapdragon chips for Windows Picture 1

Notably, Kuo announced that Qualcomm is working on customized versions of the Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips, promising to help "further reduce the price of commercial products to users". Information about how these chips will be customized has not been disclosed, but it will likely be in the direction of simplification, reducing performance, and reducing costs to target the lower segments of the market. market.

Finally, Kuo announced that Qualcomm will launch a new processor for Windows on the ARM platform in the fourth quarter of 2025. The codename of this chip is Canim, and is manufactured on TSMC's 4nm N4 process. According to his notes, this chip will be built for mainstream PCs starting at $599 to $799. Meanwhile, the cheapest Qualcomm X-powered laptop launching this week costs $999.

Although the Canim processor will be found inside lower-cost PCs, it will retain the same processing power of 40 TOPS, and will remain in the Snapdragon X Elite and Plus families.

Kareem Winters

Update 20 June 2024