Qualcomm unveils first 5nm chip aimed at PCs

Qualcomm on Wednesday unveiled its new processors aimed at PCs.

The unveiling of the chips will likely heat up competition in the PC processor space as Apple is planning to use its own M series processors for its MacBooks, which will likely challenge Intel, the traditional powerhouse in the sector.

Qualcomm’s new chips are Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 and Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 __ the former is aimed at premium PCs and the latter low-end PCs and Chromebooks.

The US chip giant said Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 has AI acceleration with great improvements in performance per watt, immersive camera and audio, 5G connectivity, thin design without a cooling fan and beefed up security.

The chip is made using 5-nanometer (nm) process node, the first for a processor aimed at PCs.

Qualcomm said the latest chip has 85% better performance compared to a competing x86-based CPU (likely Intel’s). Performance per watt is also 60% better than the competing product in the same category, the US firm said.

The GPU on the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is also 60% improved over Gen 2, it added, and will allow games to be played 50% longer compared to competing GPUs.

AI acceleration performance of the chip is 29TOPS, while the chip has a 5G modem inside that offers 10Gbps download speed. It also supports WiFi 6/6E.

Meanwhile, Snapdragon 7c+ Gen 3 adds 5G connectivity and is made using 6nm process nodes. CPU and GPU performances have increased 40% and 35%, respectively, over its predecessor, Qualcomm said. AI engine performance on the chip was 6.5TOPS.

PCs that are powered by the two new chips will be launched during the first half of 2022.