Software

A New Era for PCs: Snapdragon X Elite Goes for the Win

Qualcomm Technologies’ new processor can help companies power artificial intelligence applications without sacrificing performance. Here’s how.

Doug Bonderud

Doug Bonderud is an award-winning writer capable of bridging the gap between complex and conversational across technology, innovation and the human condition.

Which one is the better processor: Arm-compatible or x86?

Historically, Arm-compatible has been the winner. It was considered the go-to mobile processor, while x86 was used for desktops and laptops. However, Qualcomm Technologies’ new Snapdragon X Elite computing platform is changing the game.

With the combined power utilization of system-on-a-chip architecture and neural processing units (NPUs) that deliver 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS), Qualcomm Technologies’ computing contender is capable of streamlining digital workflows and enhancing artificial intelligence (AI) operations.

Here’s how the technology works and what IT leaders need to know:

Qualcomm Technologies’ Edge-Based Computing Changes the Game

Qualcomm Technologies has earned a reputation for building powerful and power-efficient mobile processors.

“We come from a mobile background,” says Jeff Monday, vice president of global enterprise and channel sales at Qualcomm Technologies. “Our priorities included performance-to-power ratio and always-connected, all-day battery life.”

Qualcomm Technologies first got into the PC space in 2017, and since then, the company has significantly expanded its presence with a range of laptops and hybrid devices that enhance performance, connectivity and battery life. Its biggest achievement is the Snapdragon series, powered by the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, a custom system-on-a-chip architecture.

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Key Features of Snapdragon X Elite

There are three key features that set the Snapdragon X Elite apart from the competition.

Superior Performance. Qualcomm Technologies’ new processor features 4-nanometer system-on-a-chip architecture powered by the 12-core Qualcomm Oryon CPU with dual-core boost. The result is radically improved performance and efficiency that enables multiday battery life on a single charge.

Our priorities included performance-to-power ratio and always-connected, all-day battery life.”

Jeff Monday Vice President of Global Enterprise and Channel Sales, Qualcomm Technologies

Streamlined User Experience. The Snapdragon X Elite also features lightning-fast 5G and Wi-Fi 7 connectivity to empower employee productivity. Security is also a priority. “We’re leaning into Microsoft’s Pluton architecture, which offers a secure chip-to-cloud profile on the device,” Monday says.

Supercharged AI. With the integrated Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, companies get 45 TOPS dedicated solely to AI performance. In practice, this allows the Snapdragon X Elite to run generative AI large language models with more than 13 billion parameters on-device.

Built for the Future: A 12-Core Architecture with On-Device AI

“AI is causing an incredible inflection point in the industry,” Monday says. And, as the technology shifts from proof-of-concept models to practical applications, businesses are looking for ways to leverage AI at scale.

Monday says that this means prioritizing performance at the edge. “AI is only as good as the data you feed it,” he says. “By leveraging on-device AI, all your inputs on the device become an additional source of context.” Edge-based AI is also gaining ground as companies recognize the operational and environmental impacts of cloud-based tools.

DISCOVER: Why does artificial intelligence require high performance computing?

From an operational standpoint, “on-device AI” means lower latency and shorter wait times. Cloud-based tools are also “thirsty” for data, according to recent research. “An average user’s conversational exchange with ChatGPT amounts to dumping a large bottle of fresh water out on the ground,” Gizmodo notes. Training generative models, meanwhile, could use more than 185,000 gallons of water.

One major benefit of on-device AI with edge-based processing is that it allows businesses to refine models over time while reducing environmental impact. And the more employees use it, the more intelligent it becomes.

The Snapdragon X Elite embodies this forward-thinking approach. “We’re skating where the puck is going,” Monday says. Equipped with 12-core architecture, 5G access and on-device AI, Qualcomm Technologies is making the case for Snapdragon processors as the foundation of next-generation computing.

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