IFA 2024: Latest Snapdragon X Series to ‘redefine’ enterprise computing

In January 2024, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said the year ahead would see the company hit the accelerator on providing bedrock technology for artificial intelligence (AI)-driven connected devices for a wide range of use cases, and as he took to the stage at IFA 2024, the executive proclaimed that it “had arrived” in its journey to bring innovation to personal computer devices and that with the launch of the latest Snapdragon X Series it has redefined personal computing, in the same way the processor had “redefined” mobile.

At the leading technology trade show in Berlin, Qualcomm unveiled the expansion of its Snapdragon X Series portfolio with 8-core functionality, enabling manufacturers to offer Copilot+ Windows PCs in the $700 to $900 range boasting significant performance increases in business application benchmarks.

Putting the launch of the chips into context, Amon said the Snapdragon X series “transformed the whole industry” and that “the first and best” Copilot+ PCs designed for AI were already powered by Snapdragon X Series platforms. He added that the company was launching a new generation in personal computing, made possible by a “ground-breaking” neural processing unit (NPU).

“With the addition of 8-core processing, the X Series is ready for business. When you look what happens at a commercial enterprise today, enterprises will pay an average of about $900 for a non-AI laptop, but now they can get everything they need with ground-breaking AI starting in the $700, $800 all the way to $900 range,” he said.

“We have now this ability, with 8-core, to not only deliver AI PCs for what the enterprise is paying today, but also do that at the $800 range, the $700 range. So when you look at that picture, it’s a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t you buy a CoPilot+ [with] multi-day battery life and one of the fastest CPUs out there? The reason we’re so excited about this announcement is it changes everything.”

At the heart of the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core is a 45 TOPS NPU of Copilot+ AI processing power, attributed with offering leading performance per watt. Among the benefits claimed are that the new Snapdragon X Plus 8-core maintains performance leadership in thin and light PCs, with a custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU powering this Snapdragon X Plus platform, leading to “lightning-fast” responsiveness and “best-in-class” power efficiency, giving users responsive performance and multi-day battery life.

The Oryon CPU is rated as delivering 61% faster CPU performance when compared with peak performance of Intel Core Ultra 7 155U (12-core) which is said to require 179% more power. The CPU performance rating was based on Geekbench v6.2 Single-Core on Windows 11 OS run in July and August 2024. Snapdragon X Plus 8-core (X1P-46-100) was tested using a Qualcomm reference design on Windows 11 OS. The Intel Core Ultra 7 155U (12-core) was tested using an Asus ZenBook S 13 (UX5304MA) laptop on Windows 11. Qualcomm noted that power and performance comparison reflects results based on the measurements and hardware instrumentation of given devices.

Compared with an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX370 series, Qualcomm said the latest Snapdragon delivered up to 12% faster CPU performance at ISO power and that the competitor peak performance required 43% more power than its platform. Using Computex 2024 benchmarks, Amon noted that compared with the Apple M3 chip, the new Snapdragon had 28% faster multithreaded performance and 19% better video life.

Commenting on the launch, Asus corporate vice-president for consumer BU Rangoon Chang said: “We’re thrilled to see the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core platform bringing the transformative power of Copilot+ to even more users worldwide. Asus is committed to making cutting-edge technology, like the ProArt PZ13, accessible to everyone, everywhere, and this partnership with Qualcomm is a significant step in that direction.”

When paired with the advancements in connectivity, Qualcomm believes the new platform will push productivity to new heights, applied in use cases such as creating presentations on the go or video conferencing. “With Snapdragon X Plus 8-core, we are now bringing to more users these transformative AI experiences, and the best-in-class performance and unprecedented battery life of our power-efficient custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU,” Anon added. “We’re proud to be working with leading global OEMs and retail partners to expand our portfolio and enable enterprise customers and consumers.”

As regards the latter area, Amon revealed the extent to which the company has been working with collaboration leaders such as Slack and Zoom in using the NPU engine for AI with the X Plus technology to enhance user experiences.  

“The collaboration on Slack now runs better on Snapdragon. It leverages the features of the CoPilot+, like live translation, taking advantage of the NPU to enhance the entire experience using Windows Studio effects for AI optimisations like automated framing live captions. With Zoom enterprise video communication, you have better performing efficiency. The NPU is used for virtual backgrounds … and make the collaboration experience way more engaging. And as you start using the NPU, you take the load off the CPU and you extend battery life. We are just at the beginning, but none of this would be possible without the incredible partnership we have with Microsoft.”

Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft corporate vice-president for Windows + Devices, said: “Qualcomm’s introduction of Snapdragon X Plus 8-core builds on the incredible energy and momentum for Copilot+ PCs that began in May. Its breakthrough platform unlocks all-day battery life, unprecedented performance and efficiency, and with the powerful NPU, brings AI-powered Windows experiences to even more people. Together, we will continue to collaborate across the Windows ecosystem with Qualcomm to push the boundaries of what is possible with Copilot+ PCs.”

In addition to Asus, select Microsoft PCs powered by the Snapdragon X Plus 8-core are available immediately, as are devices from Acer, Dell Technologies, HP, Lenovo and Samsung.