Qualcomm unveils ai-powered smartphone chips for enhanced personalization

Qualcomm introduced two new flagship smartphone processors, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, emphasizing their AI capabilities. These chips feature advanced sensing hubs capable of running models with up to 200 million parameters, enabling features like local personal scribes and speaker differentiation. The Extreme version can handle a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model, activating only relevant parameters for specific tasks. Qualcomm also highlighted improved camera control and support for 8K 60fps video recording. Motorola announced the Motorola Signature 27, powered by the Extreme version, set for release this year. Qualcomm’s CEO, Carl Pei, and Apple’s John Ternus have both expressed confidence in the role of smartphones as primary AI tools. The Snapdragon chips also include AI-driven vocal enhancement and noise reduction, along with Qualcomm’s voice bubble technology. Qualcomm has been developing over 40 AI devices, yet there remains a belief that smartphones will remain the primary AI platform. The company’s new chips are set to compete with Apple’s 20-billion-parameter model, unveiled at WWDC in June. Qualcomm’s advancements aim to redefine mobile AI capabilities, offering pro-level video features and improved task automation through AI integration.