Qualcomm announced two flagship smartphone processors named Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. Both chips focus heavily on facilitating better artificial intelligence features.
Qualcomm revealed the processors during its annual Snapdragon Summit. The company stated that the new hardware helps improve personalization for artificial intelligence agents.
The chips feature new sensing hubs capable of running small models of up to 200 million parameters. This setup allows smartphones to run a personal scribe locally and differentiate between various speakers. The sensing hub also builds memory based on user usage to provide better suggestions for automating tasks. Qualcomm noted that the hardware can execute a complete voice-in and voice-out agent.
The standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 includes a new accelerator element built to run models more efficiently. The high-end Extreme version can run a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model locally. This architecture means the model activates only a specific number of parameters for any given task. For comparison, Apple released a 20-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model at its Worldwide Developer Conference in June as part of its third-generation foundation models.
The updated Qualcomm central processing unit also supplies pixel-level control for cameras. This design delivers pro-level experiences along with improved stabilization and motion understanding. The Extreme variant supports video recording at 8K resolution and 60 frames per second, plus 4K at 240 frames per second for ultra HD slow motion. It also enables the Advanced Professional Video codec for professional recording.
Both chips utilize artificial intelligence to boost vocals and reduce background noise. They also include Qualcomm voice bubble technology to isolate user noise during phone calls.
Motorola announced its Motorola Signature 27 smartphone at the event. The device runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and will achieve general availability later this year.
Qualcomm has been working on more than 40 artificial intelligence devices. Industry observers maintain the belief that most people will continue using smartphones for artificial intelligence rather than dedicated hardware devices. Nothing co-founder Carl Pei hinted at this trend previously. Apple CEO John Ternus reinforced the same perspective during the iPhone Duo launch earlier this month.
Qualcomm will showcase further details at upcoming sessions.
