Qualcomm Progresses with Nuvia-based Chipset, Still Behind Major Competitors

Apple’s M-series of CPUs continue to rule the ARM laptop and PC market, while Qualcomm is still lagging behind. Fortunately, the chipset manufacturer has made strides in its attempt to compete with Apple’s ARM-based hardware, since it is said to have won design awards for its upcoming Nuvia series. On the other hand, given the anticipated launch is two years away, it will be some time before we get to witness these in action. 

When a business like Qualcomm creates a reference design of silicon, in this case the first Nuvia-based SoC, it is said that “design wins.” Then, one of Qualcomm’s partners, perhaps Microsoft, could be shown this reference design for its Surface line of laptops. Microsoft could then use this reference design as a foundation for its own chip introduction, much like Qualcomm does with its Kryo cores. 

Beyond 2023, we see a number of our strategic growth initiatives increasing in scale. We anticipate automotive revenues will grow consistent with our auto Investor Day projections as the design win piapeline materializes. We expect to see an inflection point in Windows on Snapdragon PCs in 2024 based on a significant number of design wins to date.'”

– Qualcomm CEO  

The main disappointment is that Qualcomm is years behind the competition, even though it is encouraging that someone other than Apple is investing in creating ARM-based CPUs. The debut of Apple’s M2 Pro and M2 Max is anticipated for the first quarter of 2023, with the M3 for the company’s more portable Mac models perhaps following late in the following year.

In the event that the launch of these Nuvia chips is not delayed, Qualcomm will essentially be three generations behind Apple. Nevertheless, we are anticipating what the ARM Windows market will look like in a few years, and we hope the outcomes are not disappointing. 

Source: Seeking Alpha