Introduction

The CEO of U.S. chip giant Qualcomm, Cristiano Amon, believes that artificial intelligence (AI) could bring new life to the smartphone market. In an interview with AsumeTech’s Arjun Kharpal, Amon expressed his optimism about the potential of AI and highlighted the upcoming Snapdragon Summit in October as a catalyst for major advancements in mobile technology.

Amon stated that the Snapdragon Summit will showcase incredible use cases from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and phones, potentially creating a new upgrade cycle for smartphones. Although the timing is uncertain, Amon asserted that this shift is definitely happening.

This year, smartphone sales have declined as consumers prioritize cost-effectiveness. Many users have chosen to stick with their current devices due to the lack of significant differences between newer models and older ones already equipped with advanced cameras and processors. According to market research firm IDC, global smartphone sales dropped by 11.3% YoY to 1.21 billion in 2022, reaching the lowest level since 2013.

Unlike its semiconductor rival Nvidia, Qualcomm is focusing on bringing AI to smartphones and other devices rather than data centers. Amon emphasized the potential in this segment and expressed confidence that once the opportunity materializes, it will reflect Qualcomm’s unique positioning.

Amon highlighted Qualcomm’s commitment to bringing AI capabilities directly to user devices. He mentioned Microsoft’s advancements in running models like ChatGPT locally on PCs and expressed the belief that such developments will have a significant impact on consumers once they become widely available.