For those not in the know, Oryon CPU cores are custom-designed processors developed by Qualcomm. These cores are part of Qualcomm's efforts to create high-performance, energy-efficient CPUs for various devices, including smartphones, PCs, and other computing platforms.
The development of Oryon cores began after Qualcomm acquired Nuvia, a startup founded by former Apple engineers. Nuvia was initially focused on creating high-performance server CPUs, but Qualcomm repurposed their designs for consumer hardware. Oryon cores are used in various Qualcomm products, including the Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon 8 Elite chipsets. These cores are designed to handle various tasks, from mobile computing to high-performance PC applications.
At its latest investor day, Qualcomm hinted that the successor to the Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips, powered by the Oryon 3, will launch around Computex 2025, aligning with a leaked Dell roadmap for Qualcomm’s Arm-based CPUs.
Testing of the second-generation Oryon chips was conducted “using a Qualcomm reference design on Android 15,” with the performance expected to exceed the first-generation Oryon chip by 30 per cent and efficiency by 57 per cent.
Details about the Oryon 3-powered next-generation Arm CPU chips are yet to be disclosed.
Meanwhile, Qualcomm plans to introduce more affordable Snapdragon X-powered laptops in early 2025. Initially projected to be sub-$1,000, these laptops will be priced at $700, with the floor price for Qualcomm’s Arm-powered devices now set at $600.
This strategic price adjustment aims to lower the barrier to entry for Snapdragon-powered computers, facilitating Qualcomm’s push into the PC market, especially with a target of $4 billion in PC sales by 2029.
Qualcomm's strategy has focused on using its smartphone ecosystem advantage to expand into other markets, such as PCs and automobiles. The company projects automotive chip sales to reach $8 billion, with 80 per cent, or $6.4 billion, already secured in contracts.
Additionally, Qualcomm anticipates $4 billion in revenue from industrial chips, at least $2 billion from VR, and another $4 billion from tablets and wireless headphones sales.
These projections aim to generate an additional $22 billion annually by 2029. Although ambitious,
Qualcomm’s positive outlook in the semiconductor industry contrasts Intel’s current struggles, including a $1.6 billion loss from its data centre and foundry business, despite securing $29 billion in PC chip sales for 2023.
