Ahead of the launch of the brand new Snapdragon X-powered laptop computer fashions, Gadgets 360 sat down with Kedar Kondap, Qualcomm’s Senior Vice President of Product Management, to debate the chipmaker’s plans to broaden in India and the way its retail growth suits into its technique.
On Qualcomm’s efforts to deliver its Arm-based Snapdragon chips to laptops in India
Kedar Kondap: Our journey on PCs began a number of years in the past — we launched a brand new CPU, which was the Qualcomm Oryon CPU, and our intent was to ship one of the best efficiency, battery life, and AI efficiency. We did this throughout three totally different tiers – the Snapdragon X Elite, Snapdragon X Plus, and the brand new Snapdragon X.
The candy spot for PCs in India is round $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000). Snapdragon X Elite focused PCs that value over $1,000 (roughly Rs. 86,700), X Plus covers PCs priced at $800 (roughly Rs. 69,400) and above, and the newer Snapdragon X is designed for $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000) or extra.
The client understands Snapdragon in telephones, and we need to drive that very same affiliation with Snapdragon in PCs. We simply launched a brand new Snapdragon Experience Zone at one of many flagship Croma shops in Mumbai. And so, the intent is to familiarise the Indian client with the affiliation between the telephone and the PC whereas showcasing all of the totally different experiences enabled by these chipsets.
How the laptop computer market in India has responded to Snapdragon-powered laptops
Kedar Kondap: I feel it is nonetheless very early, but it surely has been promising. Penetration for PCs in India is about 10 %. We need to make sure that customers perceive the advantages of the know-how and the developments we’re making in PCs. We did the identical factor with telephones. When you consider premium Android telephones, they provide lengthy battery life, CPU and digicam efficiency, dependable GPS, and extra. We need to drive that very same affiliation on PCs.
Microsoft has been a incredible associate. First, they introduced all of the Copilot+ experiences completely to Snapdragon. At the identical time, different PC OEMs like Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Asus have constructed their core platform merchandise throughout totally different worth factors from the Snapdragon X, X Plus, and X Elite, together with in India. This course of usually takes somewhat little bit of time. We have already unveiled a number of gadgets at Croma at the moment, and you will hear extra from our companions on February 24 concerning Snapdragon X.
What led to Snapdragon’s retail growth, and the way launching an expertise zone at Croma suits into Qualcomm’s technique
Kedar Kondap: Look, we come from a legacy of telephones, and the best way a client buys a telephone may be very totally different from how they purchase a PC. Not each purchaser needs to the touch and really feel a telephone, however there’s nonetheless a lot of clients that need to check out a PC earlier than buying it. Second, extra particularly in India, the buyer pertains to Snapdragon on telephones, however they may not relate to Snapdragon PCs simply but.
People need to have the ability to perceive what precisely Generative AI is and what they will do with it on a laptop computer. There are numerous use circumstances for creators, college students, company workers, or software program engineers. We need individuals to affiliate Snapdragon PCs with premium experiences with Windows, in order that once they stroll right into a Croma retailer, they will check out these experiences for themselves on the new Snapdragon Experience Zone, which is not obtainable at different retailers.
On improveing compatibility with fashionable apps relied on by Indian customers on Snapdragon-powered laptops
Kedar Kondap: To start with, Microsoft telemetry information reveals that 93 % of the apps used globally at the moment are native. I like to consider app compatibility in three phases. Microsoft did a incredible job with Prism, which is the Arm emulator which provides dependable efficiency. Second, we have a whole lot of apps now which are already working natively on Snapdragon PCs.
And lastly, these apps can make the most of the heterogeneous structure that we’ve got throughout the ISVs – for instance, when apps run on the CPU, however some duties are offloaded to the GPU and the NPU. That’s once you begin to see advantages like improved battery life. So for probably the most half, for customers in India, most core apps are in all probability already working natively on Snapdragon PCs.
When it involves LLMs, we’re already working with most — if not all — suppliers. With our Qualcomm AI hub, builders can add and compile all of their code. As lengthy because the app is on the AI Hub, it is seamless sufficient for the developer to have the ability to take that utility and simply assist it. We give all of them the instruments the documentation to make it as seamless as doable.
Competing in an AI-drivel pc market utilizing Snapdragon’s diversified portfolio throughout worth segments
Kedar Kondap: The one factor we have stored fixed throughout the Snapdragon X, X Plus, and X Elite chips is similar NPU, with 45 TOPS. We’ve stored the identical DDR throughout all chips to make sure that all of those LLMs and generative AI fashions have all of the bandwidth they are going to want whereas scaling the opposite elements of the applied sciences throughout the tiers. At the identical time, fashions are additionally being optimised.
So what you may do with, say, a 13 billion parameter mannequin, now you may run like 20-40 million parameter fashions whereas nonetheless reaching comparable accuracy. As a end result, we are able to ship dependable efficiency battery life throughout all the tier of merchandise, utilizing the identical Oryon CPUs that scale, and it is the identical 45 TOPS for AI use circumstances.
On the potential of clients holding on to laptops powered by Arm-based processors for longer
Kedar Kondap: If a client walks right into a retailer, they should perceive that some legacy gadgets from non-Snapdragon-based structure do not have an NPU. So you are not future-proofing your buy — when you purchase a PC with out 45 TOPS efficiency, it may be ‘outdated’ inside a number of weeks or months. Generative AI is transferring quickly, so that you would not be shopping for a PC of the long run.
When you concentrate on smartphones, customers did not improve as quick at first. But once they noticed the advantages of know-how, customers in India shortly switched from a characteristic telephone to a smartphone, which enabled options like clicking pictures, looking the net, watching content material with out a TV, and so forth. Eventually, clients began upgrading to telephones with larger screens or with 5G connectivity. So as customers are extra conscious of what they’re getting, they may be extra keen to spend and use a greater system.
The PC market hasn’t seen that stage of pleasure in years, however we need to deliver that again with Snapdragon Experience Zones. When customers begin to see the advantages, akin to “okay, this PC lasts a very long time”, or “I do not want an exterior digicam, as a result of this PC optimises the built-in digicam efficiency”, or “it saves my time with Generative AI options”,,.
Working with instructional establishments in India to extend consciousness of Arm-based computer systems
Kedar Kondap: We’re doing a number of college engagements throughout the globe, and we’re making it as ubiquitous as doable for the youngsters and exhibiting them precisely what they will do with AI fashions on these PCs.
And once more, whereas we need to develop quick, we additionally need to be certain that we perceive whether or not we have solved any of their utility points, earlier than we go to a college. In sure pupil communities, they might need a sure set of functions that will not essentially be ported but.
So, whereas it’s a large viewers for us, we’ve got to make it possible for we spend time, working with all of the builders, identical to we do within the enterprise and in business house. As a part of our developer communities, we additionally present entry to Snapdragon PCs to assist them perceive the platform.
Comparing Snapdragon-powered AI PCs with conventional x86 techniques that are actually starting to supply AI options
Kedar Kondap: Running every thing on the cloud will not be economically viable — we will want on-device AI, you are going to want some cloud computing, and a hybrid model that makes use of a little bit of each. I feel the truth that all people else is responding by offering entry to extra on-device AI simply tells you the significance of the place that is going. When it involves the Snapdragon X, I do not suppose there is a competitor at the moment that even helps 45 TOPS efficiency at that worth phase.
Making AI-powered know-how extra accessible by way of Qualcomm’s retail growth
Kedar Kondap: We’re coaching resellers and the gross sales employees at retailers about AI know-how obtainable on Snapdragon gadgets, and we are able to additionally higher show generative AI instruments at expertise zones just like the one we simply opened at Croma. You can present the person what you are able to do with the system, as an alternative of simply speaking about it, by performing duties like picture upscaling or options like DJ Pro, which is geared toward musicians.
At Qualcomm, we’ve got over 3,000 engineers at Qualcomm utilizing AI to put in writing a number of million traces of code via Codegen. Being in a position to see that in particular person at a retailer is totally different. The buyer additionally realises that the PC continues to know the person and their wants over time. When we’re in a retail atmosphere, and the retail employees can clarify {that a} buyer can get this expertise on this $600 (roughly Rs. 52,000) laptop computer or carry out these extra duties on a $1,000 (roughly Rs. 86,700) mannequin, clients would possibly then determine to buy a laptop computer with AI options based mostly on their price range.
On potential plans to associate with OEMs on unique shops that solely promote Snapdragon-powered PCs
Kedar Kondap: I can not share particulars of what we’re engaged on for the time being, however like I stated, our first expertise zone with Croma in India is now open to showcase the capabilities of Snapdragon PCs. We’ll see the way it goes. It’s designed to deliver us nearer to the buyer whereas making certain that the identical Snapdragon model that the buyer trusts in a telephone at the moment is the one they will belief on PCs or in XR or, in wearables or in any of the opposite gadgets that energy a client’s expertise at the moment. Think of it as a journey that we’re on and need to relate to the buyer as shortly as we are able to.
Some responses have been condensed and barely edited for readability.
