Indian engineering talent is playing a pivotal role in Qualcomm's ambitious plans to revolutionize Windows PCs with its second-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite and Extreme processors. The semiconductor giant has revealed that its extensive engineering teams across India contributed significantly to both hardware and software development of these powerful new chips designed to compete with Apple's Silicon.
India's Engineering Prowess Drives Chip Innovation
Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and General Manager for compute and gaming at Qualcomm, emphasized the substantial contribution of Indian teams during an exclusive interview at the company's San Diego headquarters. "From a development standpoint, India's contribution is significant," Kondap stated, highlighting that the country hosts not just testing facilities but actual chip development laboratories.
The company maintains substantial engineering presence across multiple Indian locations, with local teams working on critical aspects of the Snapdragon X series architecture. This global development approach leverages India's growing reputation as a semiconductor design hub, positioning the country at the forefront of cutting-edge chip technology.
Breakthrough Performance with X2 Elite Extreme
Qualcomm's new X2 Elite Extreme processor represents a substantial leap in AI computing power, featuring an impressive 80 TOPS Hexagon NPU specifically designed for artificial intelligence tasks. This represents a 37 percent performance improvement over previous generations while achieving 16 percent better power efficiency.
The company confidently claims this NPU is "the fastest laptop NPU by far," positioning it well ahead of competitors in the rapidly evolving AI PC market. The third-generation Oryon CPU architecture supports up to 18 cores, six more than its predecessors, delivering remarkable performance gains.
According to Qualcomm's internal testing, the X2 Elite Extreme demonstrates:
- 39 percent faster peak single-core performance
- 50 percent faster multicore performance
- Up to 34 hours of video playback battery life
Transforming the Stagnant PC Market
Kondap addressed the challenging state of the PC industry, noting that consumers have shown little excitement about upgrading their computers over the past decade. "People are buying the exact same device," he observed, pointing out that most purchases occur only when existing devices fail completely.
Qualcomm aims to replicate its smartphone market success by creating compelling reasons for PC upgrades. The strategy focuses on demonstrating clear value through extended battery life and AI-driven workflows that enhance productivity and user experience.
The company is implementing an educational approach at retail locations like Croma stores across India, using in-store fixtures to communicate the benefits of AI capabilities and performance improvements to potential buyers.
Competitive Positioning and Market Impact
Industry analysts recognize Qualcomm's significant progress in challenging Apple's dominance in the laptop processor space. Anshel Sag, Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, noted that "Qualcomm has come the closest to competing with Apple" when comparing the Oryon Gen 3 architecture against Apple's M4 and M5 chips.
This positions Qualcomm as Microsoft's strongest ally in competing with Apple's ecosystem, while Intel and AMD continue their traditional rivalry. The development marks a crucial moment in the PC industry's evolution, as AI capabilities become increasingly central to computing experiences.
Qualcomm's renewed focus on emerging markets like India acknowledges the country's growing importance in digital adoption, where increasing digital payments and content consumption create fertile ground for PC market expansion.
