Qualcomm’s ambitious Snapdragon X laptop push has fallen short, with only 720,000 units sold globally in Q3 2024, representing less than 1% of the AI PC market. Despite sequential growth, the platform remains a niche player, facing stiff competition from x86 chipmakers.
Despite the hype surrounding AI-powered PCs, a new TrendForce report reveals that the surge in laptop sales in 2024 is primarily driven by the Windows 11 upgrade, not AI features. High prices and limited consumer benefits for AI PCs are key factors.
Micron Technology (MU) stock is on the rise Wednesday as the chip sector rebounds from a recent downturn. The company’s announcement of its new DDR5 memory portfolio, designed to power AI PCs, is fueling the stock’s gains. The new portfolio includes clock driver memory modules capable of speeds up to 6,400 MT/s, significantly faster than previous generations. This development is a key factor behind the stock’s momentum, as it highlights Micron’s position at the forefront of memory innovation.
Industry experts predict a surge in PC shipments and revenues driven by the introduction of Microsoft’s new-generation artificial intelligence (AI) PCs. These devices are equipped with dedicated AI co-processors to execute complex algorithms, enhancing productivity and creativity. Microsoft aims to challenge Apple’s dominance in the consumer laptop market, particularly its MacBook Air series, by offering competitive pricing and superior AI capabilities.
Dell has announced a major overhaul of its laptop lineup, with the introduction of the new Snapdragon X Elite chip. This chip powers the redesigned XPS 13, which features an edge-to-edge keyboard, capacitive touch buttons, and an invisible haptic touchpad. The XPS 13 also boasts an impressive 3K OLED display and up to 4TB of storage.
In addition to the XPS 13, Dell has also launched four other laptops with Snapdragon X chips: the Inspiron 14 and 14 Plus, and the Latitude 5455 and 7455. These laptops offer a range of features and configurations, including Snapdragon X Plus chips, 10-core processors, and NPU capabilities.
The Snapdragon X Elite chip is a major upgrade over previous Snapdragon chips, offering significantly improved performance and AI capabilities. This makes it possible to run demanding applications, such as video editing software and games, on laptops without sacrificing battery life.
The new Dell laptops with Snapdragon X chips are available for preorder now, with prices starting at $1,100. They are expected to be released later this year.
Microsoft is revolutionizing the PC landscape with Copilot+, a groundbreaking initiative that ushers in an era of unparalleled AI integration. Copilot+ PCs boast dedicated Neural Processing Units (NPUs) that seamlessly run multiple language models in the background of Windows 11, empowering them to go beyond mere AI chatbots. These models analyze every aspect of a user’s PC usage, providing real-time context and suggestions through the innovative Recall feature. Copilot+ PCs possess an astonishing 40 TOPS of AI processing power, enabling them to perform advanced tasks locally, saving time and reducing reliance on cloud computing. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips serve as the exclusive silicon for Copilot+ devices, offering exceptional AI capabilities and gaming performance. Despite its potential, Copilot+ raises privacy concerns, but Microsoft assures users of control over the always-on AI tracking and the ability to delete individual snapshots.
Intel is previewing its next-generation Lunar Lake CPUs before a full reveal at Computex 2024, and they promise to be a significant upgrade over the current Meteor Lake chips. The most notable improvement is a new NPU capable of over 45 TOPS, which is more than four times the power of Meteor Lake’s NPU. Additionally, Intel boasts over 100 TOPS of AI power across the entire chip, thanks to a new GPU architecture, redesigned cores, and an upgraded version of Intel’s Low Power Island. Lunar Lake also features Xe2 graphics, which are expected to be 50% faster than the previous generation, and a 30% lower power consumption compared to AMD’s Ryzen 7 7840U.
AMD reported first-quarter earnings that exceeded Wall Street expectations, driven by strong growth in its Data Center segment and a recovery in its client business. However, the company’s gaming segment declined significantly. AMD expects continued growth in the current quarter, albeit at a more modest pace.
