Qualcomm, one of the most relevant names in the mobile chipset industry, couldn’t miss this year’s MWC. The company took at the annual fair to reveal advancements made in on-device AI, computing, and wireless connectivity. During the company’s event at the MWC, we saw the debut of Qualcomm AI Hub. The company showcased commercial AI-enabled devices and unveiled the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System and Qualcomm FastConnect 7900 Mobile Connectivity System.
Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF System
The new Snapdragon X80 5G Modem-RF system arrives as Qualcomm’s seventh-generation 5G solution. The new modem promises a peak download speed of 10 Gbps and a Peak upload Speed of 3.5 Gbps. Among the key features of the Qualcomm Snapdragon X80, we have the integration of a dedicated 5G AI Processor, support for NB-NTN satellite communications, 6-antenna architecture for smartphones, and AI-based mmWave range extension.
The wearable also brings AI innovations for enhanced data speeds, latency, quality of service, and other aspects in this area. There are also significant improvements in power efficiency. The operators will experience more performance and flexibility. One of the interesting additions is the 6x carrier aggregation and advanced spectrum utilization.
It will be a while until we see the first devices featuring the Snapdragon X80 5G modem. The first devices with it are slated for the latter half of 2024. We expect the chipsets released in Q3 or Q4 2024 to feature the new modem. One of the obvious chipsets coming with it will be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 SoC
Qualcomm FastConnect 7900
Besides the new 5G modem, Qualcomm also presented its FastConnect 7900 Mobile Connectivity System. It successfully integrates Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth, and Ultra Wideband (UWB) technologies in one single chip.
It uses AI to optimize performance based on different scenarios. That improves power consumption, network latency, and throughput. Once again, Qualcomm is using the advancements made in the field of AI to improve its chipsets. The new system also includes Ultra Wideband technology for secure device discovery and access.
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Key Features of FastConnect 7900
- It supports 6GHz, 5GHz, and 2.4GHz
- Up to 5.8 Gbps data rate with 4K QAM modulation
- Up to 4.3 Gbps with multiple streams of 5GHz spectrum
- Utilizes high-band simultaneous technology for enhanced performance
- 40% lower power usage compared to the previous generation
- Bluetooth 5.4, spatial audio, and ANT+ support
- Compatible with Snapdragon Sound and Qualcomm XPAN
- Supports LE Audio and multi-stream audio for true wireless earbuds.
Qualcomm AI Hub
Qualcomm also took the opportunity to reveal its new Qualcomm AI Hub. For starters, it serves as a gateway for developers, offering optimized AI models for Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms. These models enhance on-device AI performance.
Key Features: Qualcomm AI Hub
- Optimized AI Models: Over 75 AI and generative AI models are available, tailored for various form factors and runtimes.
- Hardware Acceleration: Leveraging all cores within the Qualcomm AI Engine (NPU, CPU, and GPU), resulting in 4X faster inferencing times.
- Seamless Integration: Developers can easily integrate these models into their applications, reducing time-to-market and unlocking benefits like immediacy, reliability, privacy, and cost savings.
Availability
The new optimized models are available on Qualcomm AI Hub, GitHub, and Hugging Face. The new models will continue to reach the platform. Furthermore, Qualcomm will keep adding support for new platforms and operating systems.
Developers can sign up to run models on cloud-hosted devices based on Qualcomm platforms. They will gain early access to new features and AI models.
Conclusion – Qualcomm highlights its achievements in AI
Qualcomm also took the opportunity to highlight its recent advancements in the AI field. Thanks to the development of new solutions and partnerships with smartphone brands, devices like Honor Magic6 Pro, Oppo X7 Ultra, and Xiaomi 14 Pro arrived with interesting generative AI features. In the computing field, the Snapdragon X Elite demonstrated rapid image generation in Gimp. The company also showcased its advances in the 5G infrastructure, Automotive field, and Consumer IoT field.
