Qualcomm today announced two flagship smartphone processors, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, focused on improved features around AI.
Qualcomm said at the annual Snapdragon Summit that the new chip will help improve personalization for AI agents. The chip features a new sensing hub that can run small-scale models of up to 200 million parameters. The new Sensing Hub allows you to run personal scribes locally on your smartphone to distinguish between speakers. Additionally, you can build memory based on usage for better suggestions for automating tasks. The company said it can run a complete voice input and voice output agent through the new chip.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 features new accelerator elements designed to run models in a more efficient manner. The high-end Extreme version allows you to run a 30 billion parameter Mix of Experts (MoE) model locally. This means that although the overall model size is 30B, the model only activates a certain number of parameters for a certain task.
For comparison, at the Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) in June, Apple released the most advanced of the third-generation foundational models, the 20 billion-parameter Expert Mixture Model.
The new Qualcomm CPU also provides pixel-level control of the camera, facilitating a more pro-level experience with improved stabilization and motion understanding. The Extreme version can support video recording at 4K240 with 8K 60fps and Ultra HD slow motion. It also enables the new Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for professional-level recording.
Additionally, both chips can use AI to enhance vocals and reduce noise. It also features Qualcomm’s new voice bubble technology, which blocks out noise for users during calls.
At this event, Motorola announced the Motorola Signature 27 smartphone, powered by Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, which is expected to be generally available later this year.
Qualcomm has worked on developing more than 40 AI devices, and it is believed that many people will use their phones for AI rather than other dedicated devices. Co-founder Karl Pei has not previously hinted at this trend, and more recently, Apple’s new CEO John Tarnas reinforced the same idea at the launch of the iPhone Duo earlier this month.
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