In Short:
Snapdragon chipsets by Qualcomm are leading in offering generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to Android smartphones. Samsung Galaxy S24 series is the first non-Pixel Android smartphone equipped with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip to feature AI with Galaxy AI. Apple raised the bar at WWDC 2024 by integrating OpenAI’s ChatGPT at OS-level on the iPhone. Qualcomm’s Chief Marketing Officer, Don McGuire, stated Snapdragon is ready to offer on-device LLM capabilities to Android smartphones due to their 12 years of AI technology development. Apple’s approach of outsourcing AI to OpenAI is similar to Qualcomm’s decade-long focus on building on-device AI capabilities. McGuire emphasizes Qualcomm’s open ecosystem approach compared to a closed vertical model like Apple’s.
Snapdragon chipsets leading in AI capabilities for Android smartphones
Snapdragon chipsets have emerged as the frontrunners in providing generative artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities to Android smartphones, second only to Google’s Tensor SoC. The Samsung Galaxy S24 series made history by being the first non-Pixel Android smartphone to feature AI capabilities through Galaxy AI on its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip. However, Apple recently announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024 that the iPhone will now integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT at the OS level, raising the competition stakes.
Qualcomm CMO Don McGuire on Snapdragon chipsets’ AI capabilities
Don McGuire, Chief Marketing Officer at Qualcomm, discussed the AI capabilities of Snapdragon chipsets in an interview with Gadgets 360. He mentioned that Snapdragon chipsets are prepared to offer on-device Large Language Model (LLM) capabilities to Android smartphones, supporting various LLM models such as Meta’s, Gemini, and OpenAI’s.
Don McGuire, CMO, Qualcomm
Photo Credit: X/@donnymac (Don McGuire)
McGuire highlighted Qualcomm’s extensive experience of 12 years in AI technology and the in-house development of a neural processing unit (NPU) that optimizes AI features for efficient performance on Snapdragon chipsets.
On the difference in approach between Apple and Qualcomm
Discussing the contrasting approaches, McGuire explained that while Apple has outsourced AI to OpenAI, Qualcomm has focused on building on-device AI capabilities for over a decade. He mentioned that Qualcomm’s approach enables a broader support for different LLMs and emphasizes an open ecosystem compared to a closed, vertical model like Apple’s.
McGuire emphasized Qualcomm’s commitment to democratizing technology and providing high processing power capabilities to smartphone makers. He noted the importance of recognizing the significance of AI and bringing innovative solutions to the market.
