Qualcomm is pushing the boundaries of artificial intelligence with a suite of new on-device AI capabilities and cloud services.
The chip giant’s latest innovations, unveiled at GITEX 2024 in Dubai, signal a seismic shift in how we interact with technology, from smartphones to industrial operations.
“In three years, the whole experience with smart [devices] as we used to know, is going to change,” predicted Wassim Chourbaji, Qualcomm’s President of the Middle East and Africa and Senior Vice President of Government Affairs.
This isn’t just hyperbole – Qualcomm is backing up its vision with concrete technological advancements. At the heart of the company’s AI strategy is a multi-pronged approach that includes on-device AI, cloud inference (launched in collaboration with Core42) and hybrid AI processing to split AI tasks intelligently between device and cloud to optimise performance and privacy.
These innovations are not just incremental improvements – they represent a fundamental reimagining of human-computer interaction. Chourbaji envisions a future where AI agents replace traditional app interfaces, allowing users to accomplish tasks through natural language interactions.
“You will see an agent, an AI agent, as your front-facing approach,” Chourbaji explained. “This AI agent will work with other agents in the device, and we do a lot of things to enable those agents.”
The implications are far-reaching. In banking, for instance, instead of navigating through menus, users might simply say, “What’s my balance? I’m going to do a wire transfer tomorrow.” The AI agent would then complete the transaction based on verbal instructions.
This shift extends beyond smartphones. Qualcomm is powering Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, which Chourbaji said can “see what you see” and perform tasks like real-time translation. In industrial settings, the company is partnering with giants like Aramco to revolutionize operations using edge AI.
Qualcomm’s push into on-device AI is particularly significant given the company’s scale – it ships over 2 billion AI-enabled devices. This positions Qualcomm at the forefront of what Chourbaji calls the “one technology platform” – a combination of connectivity, low-power high-performance computing, and AI capabilities.
The rapid advancement of generative AI has accelerated technological development across industries, creating both challenges and opportunities.
“Gen AI actually has accelerated everything in a way that’s unprecedented,” Chourbaji noted. “It’s a re-revolution. Either you endorse it or you’re left behind.”
While established players must adapt quickly, the current environment also allows new entrants to become leaders, even if “starting from scratch.”
This dynamic is particularly relevant in regions like the Middle East, where countries like the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE are making significant investments in AI and technology.
However, challenges remain. The widespread adoption of AI will require significant processing power and energy efficiency improvements. Additionally, concerns about privacy and data security in AI systems will need to be addressed as these technologies become more prevalent in everyday devices.
As Qualcomm positions itself at the forefront of this AI revolution, the tech industry’s landscape is poised for dramatic shifts. The coming years will likely see intense competition in both hardware and software development as companies vie for dominance in the AI-driven future of computing.
With its comprehensive approach to AI – spanning on-device, cloud, and hybrid solutions – Qualcomm is not just participating in this revolution; it’s aiming to lead it. As these technologies mature and proliferate, they have the potential to reshape not just how we use our devices, but how we interact with the digital world as a whole.
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