The CPU market has been dominated by Intel and AMD lately; Qualcomm wants to challenge that with its AI-powered, energy-efficient Snapdragon X-series ARM processors.
Qualcomm’s current X-series processors have been making waves since their launch in June 2024. Winfuture have exclusively revealed that Qualcomm has been working on its next-generation high-end Snapdragon X2 CPU “SC8480XP”, codenamed “Project Glymur”.
These next-gen processors put Qualcomm in competition with Apple’s M-series processors: unlike the x86 chips used by Intel and AMD, the Snapdragon efficiency, compared to the mainly performance-oriented former.
A standout feature of the X Series is its full compatibility with Microsoft Copilot+. It supports Microsoft’s Auto SR (super resolution), which uses AI to improve video quality and frame rate in existing games. By including these features from the start, Snapdragon X positions itself well for the future; other chip manufacturers will have to introduce these features via later updates.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series launched to mixed reviews. Customers praised the new ARM processors for their energy efficiency and AI features; however, the CPUs lagged behind in performance compared to AMD’s Ryzen and Intel’s Core X86 chips, especially when it came to multi-core tasks. Another issue facing Qualcomm is software compatibility: not all software has been ported to ARM.
Qualcomm has been testing the SC8480XP since July 2024 and there is still little information about what features it has to offer; according to Winfuture, we will probably know little more until 2025.
In the meantime, there is more to come for Qualcomm’s current generation of processors. In the ‘international export databases’ where Project Glymur was discovered, the X1P-24-100, a new eight-core ARM processor, was also found.