Close Menu
TechCentralTechCentral

    Subscribe to the newsletter

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn
    WhatsApp Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn YouTube
    TechCentralTechCentral
    • News

      Spam call epidemic: operators say their hands are tied

      10 July 2025

      Britehouse breaks free from NTT Data

      10 July 2025

      Samsung’s bet on folding phones faces major test

      10 July 2025

      OpenAI to launch web browser in direct challenge to Google Chrome

      10 July 2025

      The satellite broadband operators taking on Starlink

      9 July 2025
    • World

      Bitcoin pushes higher into record territory

      10 July 2025

      Grok 4 arrives with bold claims and fresh controversy

      10 July 2025

      Cupertino vs Brussels: Apple challenges Big Tech crackdown

      7 July 2025

      Grammarly acquires e-mail start-up Superhuman

      1 July 2025

      Apple considers ditching its own AI in Siri overhaul

      1 July 2025
    • In-depth

      Siemens is battling Big Tech for AI supremacy in factories

      24 June 2025

      The algorithm will sing now: why musicians should be worried about AI

      20 June 2025

      Meta bets $72-billion on AI – and investors love it

      17 June 2025

      MultiChoice may unbundle SuperSport from DStv

      12 June 2025

      Grok promised bias-free chat. Then came the edits

      2 June 2025
    • TCS

      TCS | Connecting Saffas – Renier Lombard on The Lekker Network

      7 July 2025

      TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

      4 July 2025

      TCS | Tech, townships and tenacity: Spar’s plan to win with Spar2U

      3 July 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on the latest and greatest cloud technologies

      27 June 2025

      TCS+ | First Distribution on data governance in hybrid cloud environments

      27 June 2025
    • Opinion

      In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

      30 June 2025

      E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

      30 June 2025

      South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

      17 June 2025

      AI and the future of ICT distribution

      16 June 2025

      Singapore soared – why can’t we? Lessons South Africa refuses to learn

      13 June 2025
    • Company Hubs
      • Africa Data Centres
      • AfriGIS
      • Altron Digital Business
      • Altron Document Solutions
      • Altron Group
      • Arctic Wolf
      • AvertITD
      • Braintree
      • CallMiner
      • CambriLearn
      • CYBER1 Solutions
      • Digicloud Africa
      • Digimune
      • Domains.co.za
      • ESET
      • Euphoria Telecom
      • Incredible Business
      • iONLINE
      • Iris Network Systems
      • LSD Open
      • NEC XON
      • Network Platforms
      • Next DLP
      • Ovations
      • Paracon
      • Paratus
      • Q-KON
      • SevenC
      • SkyWire
      • Solid8 Technologies
      • Telit Cinterion
      • Tenable
      • Vertiv
      • Videri Digital
      • Wipro
      • Workday
    • Sections
      • AI and machine learning
      • Banking
      • Broadcasting and Media
      • Cloud services
      • Contact centres and CX
      • Cryptocurrencies
      • Education and skills
      • Electronics and hardware
      • Energy and sustainability
      • Enterprise software
      • Fintech
      • Information security
      • Internet and connectivity
      • Internet of Things
      • Investment
      • IT services
      • Lifestyle
      • Motoring
      • Public sector
      • Retail and e-commerce
      • Science
      • SMEs and start-ups
      • Social media
      • Talent and leadership
      • Telecoms
    • Events
    • Advertise
    TechCentralTechCentral
    Home » Electronics and hardware » As big as Windows 95: Qualcomm punts new PC chips

    As big as Windows 95: Qualcomm punts new PC chips

    Qualcomm is providing the semiconductors underpinning Microsoft’s new breed of Copilot+ PCs.
    By Agency Staff4 June 2024
    Twitter LinkedIn Facebook WhatsApp Email Telegram Copy Link
    News Alerts
    WhatsApp

    Qualcomm said owners of laptops built on its new chips will be able to use the computers as much as they want without having to worry about the battery dying.

    San Diego-based Qualcomm is providing the semiconductors underpinning Microsoft’s new breed of Copilot+ PCs that feature the software maker’s latest and best artificial intelligence enhancements. Both Microsoft and Qualcomm have said the chip maker’s hardware is essential for making those AI additions possible — and to process them efficiently enough to keep a device running for a long time without a recharge.

    “We’re really making history together and the industry is starting to take notice,” CEO Cristiano Amon said in Qualcomm’s keynote address at the Computex trade show on Monday. “I believe it’s as significant as Windows 95.”

    We’re making history together and the industry is starting to take notice. I believe it’s as significant as Windows 95

    Qualcomm and some of its peers have spent more than a decade trying to loosen the dependency of the PC industry on Intel and provide a fresh set of key components using the ARM Holdings technology that’s dominant in the smartphone industry.

    Windows laptops based on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite systems will have as much as twice the battery life of traditional counterparts, Amon said. And when it comes to running some AI features, the power efficiency will be more than 100 times greater, he said.

    The CEO’s bullishness about the new devices is part of his attempt to diversify Qualcomm’s sources of revenue — the company’s mobile chips are ubiquitous across the smartphone industry, but it trails rivals in other segments. The greater efficiency and connectivity offered by Qualcomm’s products will help it win share in a number of new markets, including automotive and computing, Amon has said.

    Copilot+ PCs

    Last month, Microsoft unveiled its Copilot+ computers infused with AI features. The machines from Microsoft’s Surface line — all based on Qualcomm chips — and manufacturing partners will offer more power and will be faster than Apple’s top-of-the-line MacBook Air, Microsoft said. Lenovo Group, Dell Technologies and Asustek Computer are among the partners who’ve announced they’ll release Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ laptops.

    “Qualcomm is now in this neighbourhood to stay, we’re not going anywhere, and we’re very happy to be working with our partners,” Amon said, wearing a pair of white sneakers with the Copilot logo printed on them. Microsoft’s Windows chief, Pavan Davuluri, joined Amon on stage and the two men hugged to underscore the warmth of their business partnership. Davuluri had earlier in the day participated in the keynote address of AMD alongside CEO Lisa Su, talking up the depth of that collaboration as well.

    Read: Nvidia to make CPUs in major challenge to Intel

    The AI-based push may add new momentum to an effort that so far has failed to make a dent in Intel’s dominance in PCs. Qualcomm will have to capture consumer attention and deliver compatibility with all of the software and peripherals that PC users rely on.  — Ian King and Vlad Savov, with Jane Lanhee Lee, (c) 2024 Reuters

    Read next: Intel CEO fires back at Nvidia in AI chips battle



    ARM Asus Cristiano Amon Dell Intel Lenovo Microsoft Nvidia Pavan Davuluri Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X
    Subscribe to TechCentral Subscribe to TechCentral
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Telegram Email Copy Link
    Previous ArticleAI’s double-edged sword requires a human security approach
    Next Article Intel CEO fires back at Nvidia in AI chips battle

    Related Posts

    AI gold rush propels Nvidia to record $4-trillion market cap

    9 July 2025

    TechCentral Nexus S0E4: Takealot’s big Post Office jobs plan

    4 July 2025

    Tan eyes 14A pivot as Intel rethinks foundry future

    2 July 2025
    Company News

    AI in project management: a new era of efficiency and transformation

    10 July 2025

    Samsung unfolds the future with thinnest, lightest Galaxy Z Fold yet

    9 July 2025

    Huawei supercharges South African SMEs with over 20 new eKit products

    9 July 2025
    Opinion

    In defence of equity alternatives for BEE

    30 June 2025

    E-commerce in ICT distribution: enabler or disruptor?

    30 June 2025

    South Africa pioneered drone laws a decade ago – now it must catch up

    17 June 2025

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the best South African technology news and analysis delivered to your e-mail inbox every morning.

    © 2009 - 2025 NewsCentral Media

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.