'Outpacing innovation and leading the way': Qualcomm aims to redefine the PC with Snapdragon

Qualcomm has officially launched its inaugural Snapdragon experience zone within Croma’s flagship retail location in Juhu, Mumbai, underscoring the company's strong focus on the burgeoning Indian PC market. The unveiling featured Qualcomm India leadership, including Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Qualcomm, who spoke to Business Today, shedding light on the company's strategy and vision for the Indian PC landscape.

Kondap emphasised Qualcomm's ambition to replicate its mobile phone success within the PC sector. "We brought excitement in the phone industry for many years and it's about time that the PC industry saw some excitement as well." He highlighted three core pillars driving Qualcomm's approach to PCs: high-performance computing, energy efficiency, and the integration of generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI).

The company has recently introduced its Snapdragon X series, encompassing the Elite, Plus, and X variants, each designed to deliver on these core attributes across different price points. "When you think about India as a market," Kondap noted, "the sweet spot of price points for India, the Indian consumer is very much focused around the X." He explained that the timing of this launch is strategic, aiming to cater to the specific price sensitivities of Indian consumers while providing access to cutting-edge technology.

Kondap pointed out India's unique position in the global adoption of Gen AI, observing its rapid growth and consumer familiarity. "Generative AI is growing at a much more rapid pace in India than pretty much any other region in the world," he stated. He added that Indian consumers are quickly embracing generative AI in various forms, and developers are adept at creating relevant applications. This landscape makes India an ideal market for Qualcomm to showcase the AI capabilities of Snapdragon-powered PCs.

Addressing concerns about the high computing demands of generative AI and its impact on power consumption, Kondap reassured that Qualcomm's architecture is inherently power-conscious, stemming from its mobile heritage. He detailed the integration of a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) across the Snapdragon X series, capable of handling 45 Trillion Operations Per Second (TOPS). "We've had an NPU in our phone chips for more than 10 years," he clarified, highlighting Qualcomm’s long-term investment in this technology. This dedicated NPU, coupled with heterogeneous architecture including dedicated CPU, GPU, video, and camera cores, ensures efficient processing and optimised battery life, even when running demanding AI tasks.

The newly launched Snapdragon experience zone at Croma is pivotal to Qualcomm’s strategy in India. Kondap elaborated on the distinctive purchasing behaviour of Indian PC consumers, who prefer a "touch and feel" experience compared to online mobile phone purchases. "They still like to touch and feel the device," he mentioned. The experience zones aim to bridge the awareness gap, demonstrating the capabilities of Snapdragon PCs, especially in Gen AI applications, to consumers who are already familiar with the Snapdragon brand in mobile phones.

While the Croma partnership marks a significant first step, Kondap confirmed that Qualcomm is open to broader collaborations. "There's nothing that prevents us" from partnering with other retailers, including online platforms like Flipkart, with whom exciting future partnerships are anticipated.

Kondap encapsulated the driving force behind Snapdragon innovation as the pursuit of "premium experiences" rooted in "great technology." He affirmed Qualcomm’s commitment to "outpacing innovation and leading the way," ensuring the development of cutting-edge technologies that translate into desirable products for consumers.