Qualcomm Intros AI-Ready Snapdragon X Plus Chip
Photo: Qualcomm
Windows PCs are about to have even more options with the announcement of Qualcomm's Snapdragon Plus chip. The Plus joins the previously announced Snapdragon X Elite, and both are being positioned as ideal for upcoming Windows PCs that need great performance, AI chops, and long battery life.
I got a chance to go hands-on with some Qualcomm reference designs recently and run a few benchmark tests on laptops using both the Snapdragon Plus and Snapdragon Elite chips.
Running everything from AI demos to Steam games, these systems came back with excellent benchmark scores and felt very much like premium Windows laptops with Intel or AMD CPUs. In some cases, the performance was even better, as they blew through on-device local AI demos, producing music clips, AI images, and more in just seconds.
Built on a 4nm process, the Snapdragon X Plus incorporates ten high-performance cores. The chip includes a dedicated NPU (neural processing unit) capable of performing 45 TOPS (tera operations per second), which is the fastest NPU rating among current laptop chips.
The advantage here is that intensive AI tasks can be processed directly on the device, reducing the need for cloud-based AI, improving speed and enhancing data security. For example, the new snapdragon chips can support code generation in Visual Studio Code, AI music creation in Audacity, and live captions with realtime translation in OBS Studio, all running locally.
Laptops with the Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite offer more than just performance computing benefits; they also promise extended run time for laptops. Qualcomm says the chips can consume 54% less power than similar Intel CPUs, delivering similar or better performance while eating up less battery life.
Laptops featuring this new chip are expected to hit the market by mid-2024, giving PC shoppers another option when it comes to choosing the platform for their Windows devices.
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Micro Center Editor-in-Chief Dan Ackerman is a veteran tech reporter and has served as Editor-in-Chief of Gizmodo and Editorial Director at CNET. He's been testing and reviewing laptops and other consumer tech for almost 20 years and is the author of The Tetris Effect, a Cold War history of the world's most influential video game. Contact Dan at dackerman@microcenter.com.
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