From TechCrunch · Ivan Mehta · · 1m 30s
Qualcomm's new chips put AI at the heart of smartphones
Qualcomm unveiled two flagship processors designed to run advanced AI models directly on phones, challenging the need for separate AI devices.
In brief
Qualcomm unveiled two flagship processors designed to run advanced AI models directly on phones, challenging the need for separate AI devices. Smartphones are becoming the primary AI device, with Qualcomm's new chips enabling complex AI tasks like personal assistants and professional video editing to run locally on…
Qualcomm launches AI-focused chips
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 at its annual summit, designed to run advanced AI models directly on smartphones.
New sensing hub enables local AI agents
The chips feature sensing hubs that run AI models up to 200 million parameters, enabling personal scribes, speaker differentiation, and voice-in voice-out agents entirely on the phone.
Extreme version handles 30-billion-parameter models
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme can run a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model locally, outpacing Apple's 20-billion-parameter model released at WWDC in June.
Professional video and audio features
Both chips enable 8K 60fps and 4K 240fps video recording with the new Advanced Professional Video codec, plus AI-powered noise reduction and voice isolation for calls.
Motorola launches first Extreme-powered phone
Motorola announced the Motorola Signature 27 smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, arriving later this year.
Phones replacing dedicated AI devices
Industry leaders including Nothing's Carl Pei and Apple's new CEO John Ternus have signaled that smartphones will be the primary AI device, not specialized hardware.
What to remember
Smartphones are becoming the primary AI device, with Qualcomm's new chips enabling complex AI tasks like personal assistants and professional video editing to run locally on handsets.
