Qualcomm to arm Windows PCs with new processor to take on Apple MacBooks

qualcomm snapdragon x plus

Qualcomm has announced a new processor for Windows PCs. Called Snapdragon X Plus, it features Qualcomm Oryon CPU, a custom-integrated processor that delivers up to 37% faster CPU performance compared to competitors, claims Qualcomm. Snapdragon X Plus is also designed to meet the demands of on-device AI-driven applications, powered by the Qualcomm Hexagon NPU. Doubling up on AI, the on-device AI capabilities Qualcomm has included support for Generative AI at 30 tokens per second in Snapdragon X Plus.

Qualcomm wants to rival Apple’s M-series of processors, which were introduced in 2020. Apple’s move to ditch Intel processors for its own has paid off as the M-series-powered Mac devices have been appreciated by users.

As far as Snapdragon X Plus is concerned, it will offer support for up to three external UHD monitors running at 60 Hz. Qualcomm further revealed that Snapdragon X Plus will help keep PCs protected from chip to cloud with features from the Qualcomm Secure Processing Unit that runs the Microsoft Pluton TPM, total memory encryption, and Microsoft Secured-core PC support. Qualcomm also claims that laptops with Snapdragon Plus will offer “multi-day” battery life on a single charge.

OEMs are expected to launch PCs powered by Snapdragon X Plus starting mid-2024.

Kedar Kondap, senior vice president and general manager of compute and gaming, Qualcomm Technologies, said “By delivering leading CPU performance, AI capabilities, and power efficiency, we are once again pushing the boundaries of what is possible in mobile computing.”

The processor will help generating codes in Visual Studio Code from Codegen. It will assist programmers by generating fresh code instantly with on-device generative AI. Also, using Riffusion on-device AI, creative professionals will be able to generate new music from prompts or pre-existing music in Audacity. There’s also Live captions in OBS Studio, which will provide automatic translation of 100 spoken languages into live captions in 100 languages using Whisper on-device, in real-time during livestreams.