Qualcomm is actively entering the AI PC market with a new processor unveiled on April 25th, reportedly featuring Arm architecture and produced on a 4nm process, igniting a new battle in non-x86 architecture AI PC processors.

Industry sources cited by the report from Economic Daily News have anticipated that TSMC is behind this new chip from Qualcomm. Following this trend, major players like Apple, NVIDIA, and MediaTek will continue to release Arm-based AI PC processors, all likely manufactured by TSMC.

Since 2018, Qualcomm has introduced a series of chips like Snapdragon 8cx, 7c, 8c platforms, 8cx Gen 2, and 8cx Gen 3, targeting always-connected and mobile PC domains. After years of preparation, they’re capitalizing on the AI wave, with last year’s launch of Snapdragon X Elite, produced on TSMC’s 4nm process. Yesterday, they further expanded with Snapdragon X Plus, aiming for a larger share of the AI PC market.

Qualcomm claims both Snapdragon X Elite and X Plus feature customized integrated Oryon CPUs, outperforming competitors with 37% higher CPU performance and a 54% reduction in power consumption. During last year’s Snapdragon Summit, Qualcomm introduced its in-house Oryon CPU, claiming that certain CPU performance metrics surpassed those of Intel and Apple chips.

Qualcomm previously mentioned that part of the Snapdragon X Elite’s GPU performance also surpasses competitors like AMD. Both Snapdragon X chips feature Hexagon neural network processors (NPU) capable of 45 trillion operations per second (TOPS), promising unprecedented performance, energy efficiency, and on-device AI capabilities for more Windows PCs.

Qualcomm emphasizes that the NPU’s performance supports new AI-optimized applications and features, including OBS Studio real-time captions, leveraging on-device Whisper functionality to instantly translate 100 spoken languages into 100 languages for live broadcasts.

According to Qualcomm’s official website, the Snapdragon X Elite features 12 cores with a maximum multi-thread frequency of 3.8 GHz, while the Snapdragon X Plus has 10 cores with a maximum frequency of 3.4 GHz.

Industry sources cited by the same report from Economic Daily News believe the Snapdragon X Plus will help Qualcomm capture the PC mainstream market. Qualcomm stated that OEMs are expected to launch PCs equipped with Snapdragon X Plus and Snapdragon X Elite starting from mid this year.

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(Photo credit: Qualcomm)

Recently, the semiconductor industry has seen three acquisitions.

Qualcomm announced the acquisition of Foundries.io, a leading provider of IoT and cloud development security services, with its flagship product FoundriesFactory being well-regarded in the industry. Microchip Technology acquired Neuronix AI Labs to enhance its capabilities in developing highly efficient AI edge solutions on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA). Runjing Chemical, a developer of Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide (TMAH), announced the acquisition of two plants in China from Sumitomo Chemical, aiming to strengthen its competitiveness in the wet electronic chemical market in China.

• Runjing Acquired Sumitomo Chemical’s Two Plants

On April 16th, Runjing Chemical announced that it has acquired two plants in China from Sumitomo Chemical.

Runjing disclosed that it has reached an agreement on the full acquisition of Sumitomo Chemical’s subsidiaries, Sumitomo Chemical Electronic Materials (Hefei) Co., Ltd. and Sumitomo Chemical Electronic Materials (Chongqing) Co., Ltd., and both parties have completed the signing of the equity transfer contract.

Upon meeting the relevant items stipulated in the equity transfer contract, Hefei Sumitomo Chemical and Chongqing Sumitomo Chemical will become wholly-owned subsidiaries of Runjing.

Sumitomo Chemical, founded in 1913, has been engaged in the production of process chemicals for flat panel displays (FPD) in China since 2009. The two acquired subsidiaries focus on providing etchants, developers, and peelers with stable quality for downstream customers.

Founded in 2008, Runjing is a manufacturer of TMAH developer and offer products to major global panel manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, BOE, HKC, CSOT, and Tianma. In 2020, Runjing Technology established XINKE Electronic Materials in Hefei to produce high-purity semiconductor-grade products including hydrogen peroxide, ammonia water, and isopropanol, which has begun product introduction at its 12-inch fabs.

Runjing stated that through this acquisition, it will take over Sumitomo Chemical’s technological advantages and business network, enable it to quickly expand its product portfolio (Etchants, peelers, and CF developers, etc), and provide customers with a variety of comprehensive solutions, thereby enhancing Runjing’s competitiveness in the wet electronic chemical market in China.

• Qualcomm Acquired Foundries.io

Qualcomm recently disclosed its acquisition of Foundries.io in a press release regarding a WiFi product launch. Foundries.io is known as an open-source cloud-native platform provider, specializing in simplifying the complexity of developing Linux-based IoT and edge devices, and updating these devices.

Foundries.io was co-founded by executives and engineers. Headquartered in Cambridge, UK, it is recognized as a pacesetter in its field. The company’s  cloud-native DevOps products fitted for interconnected embedded security devices can expedite time-to-market and reduce costs for OEMs across industries.

Foundries.io reportedly established close relationships with ARM and its chip partners, adopting ARM SystemReady technology. It has developed Linux distribution that is the first to fully integrate Project Cassini and provide commercial support for it. Project Cassini is an open, collaborative, and standards-based program by ARM.

• Microchip Acquired Neuronix AI Labs

According to Microchip Technology’s press release, Microchip Technology recently acquired Neuronix AI Labs to enhance its capabilities in developing high-efficiency, AI-supported edge systems on FPGA. Neuronix AI Labs delivers neural network sparse optimization technology, which can reduce power consumption, size, and computation for tasks such as image classification, object detection, and semantic segmentation while maintaining high accuracy.

Microchip’s mid-range PolarFire® FPGA and SoC are already ahead in the industry in terms of low power, reliability, and security features. Acquiring such neural network sparse optimization technology will enable Microchip to develop large-scale edge deployment components with high cost-effectiveness and efficiency, which are specifically designed for computer vision applications on systems requiring low cost, small size, and low power consumption, thus enabling AI to exponentially increasing ML processing capabilities on low-end and mid-end FPGA.

The acquisition also gives our traditional Microchip MCU and MPU clients the ability to use FPGAs as accelerators through an easy-to-use compiler that will substantially improve their design productivity and system performance while shortening their time to market

Bruce Weyer, Vice President of Microchip’s FPGA Business Unit, said, “This acquisition will improve the efficiency of our FPGA and SoC deployed in intelligent edge systems utilizing AI/ML algorithms.” He added, “Neuronix technology, combined with our VectorBlox design flow, can enhance neural network performance efficiency and delivers outstanding GOPS/Watt performance in our  PolarFire FPGA and SoC with low power consumption. System designers can now build and deploy small hardware, which was previously difficult to achieve due to limitations of size, heat, or power.”

The neural network sparse optimization technology will allow non-FPGA designers to leverage the powerful parallel processing capabilities of industry-standard AI frameworks without deep knowledge of FPGA design processes.

Neuronix AI intellectual property, coupled with Microchip’s existing compilers and software PDK, can achieve AI/ML algorithms on customizable FPGA logic without the need for specialized knowledge of Register Transfer Level (RTL) or a deep understanding of underlying FPGA architecture. It also allows for dynamic updates and upgrades of CNNs without reprogramming the hardware.

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• [News] Battle in AI PCs: Exploring Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm Chips’ AI Computing Power

(Photo credit: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm was fined NTD 23.4 billion by Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission in 2017 for antitrust violations. Both parties reached a settlement the following year, which sparked some official discontent. However, a report from Korean media outlet The Elec has pointed out that this move ultimately contributed to Taiwan’s long-term industrial growth.

Under the settlement in the subsequent year, Qualcomm reportedly committed to investing USD 700 million in Taiwan over the next five years. This included establishing operational and manufacturing facilities, testing centers, and other investments, with the plan set to conclude by the end of 2023.

Qualcomm was accused of leveraging modem chip patents to force companies into unfavorable licensing agreements, resulting in fines in Taiwan, China (2015), South Korea (2016), and the EU (2018). Taiwan initially imposed a fine of NTD 23.4 billion on Qualcomm but later reduced it, instead requiring Qualcomm to commit to investing USD 700 million over the next five years to promote local industries such as 5G.

The report points out that, at that time, Taiwan lagged behind the US, China, Japan, and South Korea in 5G development, necessitating this compromise. The reports suggest that this decision, which now appears to be correct, was not intended to boost the 5G industry but to pivot towards the semiconductor sector. Over the past five years, industry dynamics have rapidly shifted focus to the semiconductor sector, with Qualcomm channeling substantial funds into Taiwan’s chip packaging industry.

Taiwanese officials reportedly stated that Qualcomm has successfully implemented its industrial investment plan over the past five years while maintaining a strong relationship with Taiwan. All aspects of the promised investment have been fulfilled, with the investment amount exceeding USD 1.4 billion, far surpassing the initial commitment of USD 700 million—effectively doubling Qualcomm’s investment amount.

Reports further indicate that Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) has confirmed Qualcomm’s purchase of 500 pieces of equipment dedicated to handling Qualcomm’s backend demands. Additionally, a South Korean packaging company informed TheElec that they lost Qualcomm orders to Taiwanese competitors over the past few years. In essence, Taiwan’s government initiative has also benefited the local packaging industry, despite this not being the original intention.

While SPIL’s performance was weak during the global chip market downturn last year, its revenue steadily grew from 2018 to 2022. Qualcomm not only provides equipment and orders to SPIL but also deploys engineers directly at SPIL’s plants to ensure proper chip packaging.

Qualcomm continues to entrust its high-end chip packaging orders to Amkor’s Incheon plant. However, the report suggests that Qualcomm’s close partnership with Taiwanese packaging companies may lead to more opportunities.

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• [News] Battle in AI PCs: Exploring Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm Chips’ AI Computing Power
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(Photo credit: Qualcomm)

The global laptop and PC market is experiencing a gradual recovery, driven by the growing trend of AI-powered PCs (AIPC). Consequently, as per a report from TechNews, the competition to enhance AI chip computing power has emerged as a key global focus. 

One of the competitors, Intel, during its Vision 2024 event, showcased its next-generation laptop chip, Lunar Lake. Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger stated that this chip will deliver over 100 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of AI performance, with the NPU alone contributing 45 TOPS. This marks a threefold increase in AI performance compared to Intel’s current generation of chips and meets the 45 TOPS NPU performance threshold previously set by Intel for the next generation of AI PCs.

Currently, Intel’s Meteor Lake processor NPU can only deliver 10 TOPS, which falls short of the standard required for the next generation of AI PCs. However, the NPU performance of Lunar Lake precisely meets the 45 TOPS standard.

Pat Gelsinger did not provide detailed breakdowns of the remaining 55+ TOPS performance between the CPU and GPU, but it can be reasonably speculated that the GPU contributes around 50 TOPS, while the CPU cores contribute 5-10 TOPS.

As for Intel’s competitors, AMD’s current-generation Ryzen Hawk Point platform offers NPU performance of 16 TOPS, which is also below Intel’s envisioned standard for the next generation of AI PCs.

However, AMD has recently indicated that their next-generation products will make significant breakthroughs to meet the demands of AI computing, incorporating a robust architecture with powerful CPU, GPU, and NPU components. This design philosophy has been consistent for AMD from the Ryzen 7040 series to the current 8040 series.

At an AI event in December last year, AMD unveiled the next-generation Ryzen Strix Point mobile processor featuring the XDNA 2 architecture, boasting a threefold increase in AI performance compared to the previous generation.

Yet, AMD has not provided detailed performance allocations for each component. Nonetheless, a simple calculation suggests that if the NPU performance triples, then the NPU performance of Ryzen Strix Point would reach 48 TOPS.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite platform represents another competitor in the escalating competition, with chips based on ARM-based architecture scheduled to launch in mid-2024. Qualcomm has stated that its NPU performance will reach 45 TOPS, further heightening the competition among Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm for dominance in the next generation of AI computing.

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• [News] PC Market on the Rise, Tremendous Potential for AIPC Next Year

(Photo credit: Intel)

With the rapid advancement of AI-powered PC chips, industry giants like Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, alongside various brands, are optimistic about the inaugural year of AI PCs entering the market.

According to a report from Commercial Times, chip manufacturers are showcasing their AI PC chip solutions, with newcomer Qualcomm partnering with Google to launch Snapdragon X expected mid-year, while Intel leveraging both hardware and software resources.

Per the same report citing sources, laptop brands are beginning to plan AI PC-related products for the second half of the year. Recently, companies like Dell, Lenovo, and HP have held internal meetings with the Taiwan supply chain. In addition to contract manufacturers, IC design is also a key focus, with companies like MediaTek and Realtek being actively engaged.

Reportedly, each company currently has its own perspective on AI PC, with many opting to integrate AI accelerator chips. However, Microsoft and Intel have jointly defined AI PC as requiring NPU, CPU, and GPU, along with support for Microsoft’s Copilot. They are also incorporating a physical Copilot key directly on the keyboard and become the standard setters.

To adapt to significant changes in software and hardware, Intel is expanding its ecosystem. In addition to AI application software, they are incorporating Independent Hardware Vendors (IHVs) into their AI PC acceleration program.

This collaboration assists IHV partners in preparing, optimizing, and leveraging hardware opportunities in AI PC applications. Support is provided from the early stages of hardware solutions and platform development, offering numerous opportunities for IC design companies in Taiwan to enter Intel’s supply chain during the nascent stage of AI PC.

Reportedly, Qualcomm is rumored to maintain its partnership with Google as it ventures into the AI PC market this year with Snapdragon X Elite. Qualcomm and Google have previously collaborated closely in the realm of Android smartphones, with many devices equipped with Snapdragon chipsets already using Google software.

Intel estimates that by the end of this year, the market will introduce over 300 AI acceleration applications, further advancing its AI software framework and enhancing the developer ecosystem. Intel further predicts that by the end of 2025, there will be over 100 million PCs shipped with AI accelerators, indicating immense opportunities in the AI PC market. However, competition is fierce, and success in this market requires innovative products that are differentiated and meet user needs. With both Intel and Qualcomm unveiling unique strategies, the AI PC market is poised for significant developments.

For AI PC, TrendForce believes that due to the high costs of upgrading both software and hardware, early development will be focused on high-end business users and content creators. This targeted group has a strong demand for leveraging AI processing capabilities to improve productivity efficiency and can also benefit immediately from related applications, making them the first-generation primary users.

The emergence of AI PCs is not expected to necessarily stimulate additional PC purchase demand. Instead, most upgrades to AI PC devices will occur naturally as part of the business equipment replacement cycle projected for 2024.

Nevertheless, looking to the long term, the potential development of more diverse AI tools—along with a price reduction—may still lead to a higher adoption rate of consumer AI PCs.

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• [News] AMD Hosts Innovation Summit, CEO Lisa Su Highlights the Beginning of AIPC Era
• [News] PC Market on the Rise, Tremendous Potential for AIPC Next Year

(Photo credit: Intel)