Qualcomm introduced the concept of Arm-based Windows PCs at Computex 2018, later showcasing devices from Asus, HP, and Lenovo. These laptops were known for their thin design, long battery life, and compatibility with standard Windows software. After a period of silence during the Covid pandemic, Qualcomm resumed focus on its Arm-based PCs, launching Snapdragon X-series laptops as part of Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC line in 2024. However, issues emerged as Qualcomm paused its developer kit and Arm canceled Qualcomm’s architectural license, leading to legal disputes. Qualcomm remains committed to advancing AI-focused laptops, incorporating Nuvia’s Oryon design into its product line.
Qualcomm first introduced the idea of an Arm-based Windows-running machine at a private showing in Taipei during Computex 2018. By December, at its analysts and press conference in Hawaii, the company had production units on display from Asus, HP, and Lenovo. The machines were thin and light, and could run on battery for a long time. These were more than just Chrome killers; these were workaday Windows machines.
Covid came, and Qualcomm got quiet about its Windows machines until late last year.
Microsoft announced the Qualcomm notebooks for Copilot+ at Microsoft Build 2024 on Monday, May 20, 2024. The laptops were part of the Copilot+ PC banner and touted as the fastest, most intelligent Windows PCs ever and featured Qualcomm’s brand-new Snapdragon X processors, enabling advanced AI capabilities.,
We got a Dell XPS version and fell in love with it—and it would run on battery for 18 hours. Qualcomm boasted of its 45 TOPS AI performance. The company had a winner.
We put it up against a Lenovo Aura Intel Lunar Lake notebook. And, it showed well. It even ran some power Windows games.
But, there were a few benchmarks that wouldn’t run because they were too tightly coupled to the x86 architecture. But that wasn’t a problem to our thinking—it was, after all, an emulator and not an x86 clone.
Qualcomm reasoned that if it could build a competitive notebook, why not also offer a mini PC, something like Intel’s or AMD’s NUC? But, they didn’t productize it. Instead, they offered a dev kit and assumed developers and OEMs would take it and make a final product from it. The plan looked like it was working, and they had a few thousand orders. And all the while dev kits were being sold by Arrow, the Qualcomm engineers were still tinkering with the kit and tweaking things—kind of like fixing the engine on an airplane while it’s taking off. Finally, Qualcomm engineers said, “Time out!” Things just weren’t stabilizing, and Qualcomm wanted it to be totally and completely bulletproof. It wasn’t going to sell for much, so they couldn’t tolerate a lot of returns or support calls.
So, Qualcomm put out a statement. “At Qualcomm, we are dedicated to pioneering leading technology and delivering premium experiences to our valued customers. The launch of 30-plus Snapdragon X-series-powered PCs is a testament to our ability to deliver leading technology and the PC industry’s desire to move to our next-generation technology. However, the Developer Kit product comprehensively has not met our usual standards of excellence, and so we are reaching out to let you know that, unfortunately, we have made the decision to pause this product and the support of it, indefinitely.
“Working with the developer community is a priority for Qualcomm. If you want to learn more about Windows on Snapdragon, please engage with us on Discord or head to our developer portal on Qualcomm.com. If you are ready to build your next-gen AI PC application, visit the Qualcomm Device Cloud (QDC) today.
“Qualcomm has authorized a refund for any charges that have been made by Arrow.”
And then, if that face-smacking announcement wasn’t enough, Arm announced it was canceling Qualcomm’s Arm license, giving Qualcomm a mandated 60-day notice of the cancellation of their architectural license agreement.
This will hurt Arm more than Qualcomm. Qualcomm helped make Arm what it is. If Qualcomm moves to RISC-V (which it could probably do in a day or two, if it hasn’t already), Arm will lose hundreds of millions of smartphones and automotive processors. Talk about cutting your nose off to spite your face.
Qualcomm also has another processor design due to its $1.4 billion acquisition of Nuvia, a chip design company founded by former Apple engineers in January 2021.
Nuvia’s microprocessor design is integral to Qualcomm’s new AI-focused laptop chips, sold to HP, Microsoft, and others. These processors power a line of AI PCs, aiming to enhance laptop performance with artificial intelligence capabilities. Qualcomm also plans to incorporate Nuvia’s design, known as Oryon, into its Snapdragon chips for smartphones, expanding the reach of this technology across multiple devices.
Qualcomm issued another statement: “This is more of the same from Arm—more unfounded threats designed to strong-arm a longtime partner, interfere with our performance-leading CPUs, and increase royalty rates regardless of the broad rights under our architecture license. With a trial fast approaching in December, Arm’s desperate ploy appears to be an attempt to disrupt the legal process, and its claim for termination is completely baseless. We are confident that Qualcomm’s rights under its agreement with Arm will be affirmed. Arm’s anticompetitive conduct will not be tolerated.”