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Next Qualcomm mobile chip might have dedicated NPU
August 02, 2025
According to Roland Quandt over atWinFuture, the nextQualcomm Snapdragonchipset designed for flagship mobile devices might be packing a little something extra.
If the rumors are true, the next Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets for mobile devices will likely be 12.4 x 12.4mm silicon built on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) 7nm process node using optical lithography. However, that’s not too surprising.
What is surprising is that the chipsets will also likely feature an onboard Neural Processing Unit (NPU) which will handle AI functions. We already see this design change happening inHuawei’s Kirin chipsets, where the main processing of the phone is handled on one part of the chip, and the AI functions are handled on another.
With the currentQualcomm Snapdragon 845, for example, AI functions are performed on the main chip along with all the other functions. It’s likely that this separation of tasks is in anticipation of AI functions taking a much larger role in future smartphones.
With AI taking top-billing atCES 2018and even mid-range devices coming withAI-capable chipsets, it seems logical to dedicate a portion of future chips to just AI features.
You can readWinFuture’sentire report on the rumorshere.
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