Qualcomm is still playing catch-up to Apple's mobile processors, but it has a desktop chipset that's coming to challenge Apple's M-series of chipsets. Qualcomm's chipsets are present in a variety of devices including smartphones, virtual reality headsets, smartwatches, and computers. Its processors are also present in cars under the Snapdragon Automotive Platform line.
The Snapdragon Compute Platform is its line of chips designed for use in Windows and Chrome OS computers. Sitting at the top of the series is the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3, a 5nm chip with an integrated 5G modem. It made its debut in the Lenovo ThinkPad X13s, which was announced at MWC 2022. However, in terms of performance, it can't match the Apple M1 or the more recent Apple M2 chipset.
The chip race should get more interesting when Qualcomm debuts its first Apple M series rival chipset in 2024. The info comes from Kuba Wojciechowski (@Za_Raczke), who revealed details of the upcoming ARM-based processor on Twitter. According to the source, the desktop chip goes by the codename “Hamoa” and will have up to 12 cores. The in-house cores, which are based on Nuvia's Phoenix design, will include eight performance cores and four efficiency cores. Nuvia was a System-on-Chip design company acquired by Qualcomm in 2021 for $1.4 billion. The company was founded by ex-Apple employees that made up the team that designed the framework for Apple's current ARM chips.
Qualcomm's Desktop Chip Will Support dGPUs
The source also mentioned that the processor will have a similar memory and cache configuration as the Apple M1. Another interesting feature of the upcoming chip is its support for dGPUs (discrete GPUs). What this means is that while it should have its own internal GPU, it will also be able to work with external graphics cards, just like Intel and AMD processors. Finally, the source said informants have described the performance of the chipset as “extremely promising.”
With an official unveiling for the chipsets expected in 2024, there is still a long wait ahead. That wait may even be longer when factoring in when the first set of devices powered by the chipset will hit the shelves. Some of Qualcomm's partners that may launch products powered by the ARM-powered chipset include Microsoft, Samsung, Acer, HP, Lenovo, and Xiaomi. This is because the aforementioned brands and many others were mentioned in the press release announcing the acquisition of Nuvia.
Source: Kuba Wojciechowski/Twitter