Qualcomm's new entry-level Snapdragon C lineup is not directly tied to Apple, according to Kedar Kondap, senior vice president and general manager of compute and gaming at Qualcomm. The company launched the product line to fill a gap in its entry-level portfolio while maintaining its emphasis on low power consumption and high performance.
Kondap discussed Qualcomm's AI PC strategy and the competitive landscape during a June 2 group interview with Taiwanese media.
AI PCs as a long-term bet
Qualcomm has been investing in the AI PC market for a long time, with products covering generative AI to agentic AI, Kondap said. That gives the company a natural advantage in AI-related technologies and provides a solid foundation for its competitiveness in AI PCs.
PCs are a key part of the broader agentic AI ecosystem. For AI agents to operate continuously on PCs, devices need NPUs capable of delivering high performance with low power consumption, Kondap said. That is an area where Qualcomm has long been strong, and a major reason the company believes it is well positioned in AI PCs.
Qualcomm leans on product breadth
As competitors such as Nvidia enter the market, one of Qualcomm's advantages is its diversified and continuously upgraded product lineup, Kondap said, giving the company broader reach across the PC market.
Qualcomm has also worked closely with the PC ecosystem over the past two years to ensure various software applications can run properly on Windows on Arm. That experience is another reason the company is confident in facing competition.
Kondap reiterated that Qualcomm has always welcomed new competitors. He did not specify how their entry might benefit the broader Windows on Arm ecosystem, saying only that he looks forward to future market and technology developments.
Snapdragon C targets entry-level demand
Asked why Qualcomm is launching the entry-level Snapdragon C lineup now, and whether the move is related to Apple's MacBook Neo, Kondap said the main reason is that Qualcomm previously did not have a product aimed at the entry-level price range.
The company wants to fill that gap as customers show demand for such products, he added, and the move is not directly related to products launched by competitors.
Qualcomm's product segmentation is mainly designed to meet customer needs across different price bands, Kondap said. The company's core strategy is to ensure that products at every price level can support agentic AI applications while meeting the basic requirement of low power consumption and high performance.
Article translated by Sherri Wang and edited by Jerry Chen
