When Apple announced the M1 chip and its plan to transition from Intel processors to its own ARM-based silicon, popular smartphone chipmaker Qualcomm also announced plans to follow suit and launch a range of ARM-based chips. Earlier this week, the company’s President and CEO Cristiano Amon said Qualcomm’s chips would be available in computers by late 2023.
During a company earnings call, Amon revealed that Nuvia-powered laptops running Windows are set to hit store shelves late in 2023. He added that the initial models would lock horns with the “performance tier” of Apple chips, including the M1 Pro and M1 Max. The company hopes to set a new industry standard for “sustained performance and battery life” with its new chips.
Qualcomm first unveiled plans to take on Apple’s ARM chips with its own system on chips (SoCs) in November last year. Its chips are designed for the PC market and are “designed to set the performance benchmark for Windows PCs.”
However, the CEO’s latest announcement of the launch timeline indicates the company has faced delays. It had initially suggested a 2022 launch timeframe last year, saying chips would go out to device manufacturers by August 2022.
To get you up to speed, Qualcomm acquired Nuvia, the brainchild of two ex-Apple chip designers, for $1.4 billion in January last year. The start-up founders wanted to design ARM-based SoCs for the server and always-connected PC (ACPC) markets. The Qualcomm acquisition broadened the horizons for the company and the markets it could target.
Notably, Apple could be midway through its M2 chip design lineup by the time Qualcomm’s ARM SoCs are deployable. Moreover, the iPhone maker’s offerings stand to benefit from the tight integration with proprietary operating systems and software. This doesn’t work in Qualcomm’s favor because it would have to design the chip to be compatible with a broader range of hardware configurations, operating systems, and software.
Do you think Qualcomm could rival Apple’s M1 chip that benefits from the tight-knit ecosystem? Tell us in the comments.
[Via Tom’s Hardware]
