Qualcomm is reportedly preparing to launch a new version of its ARM-based Snapdragon 8cx processor in order to better rival Apple’s M1 chip.
That’s according to WindowsFuture.de, which reports that Qualcomm is currently testing a successor to the Snapdragon 8cx, which is the second-generation of its flagship ARM processor for Windows 10.
While Qualcomm has long focused on battery life and always-on connectivity with its Windows 10 processors, it looks like the company will focus solely on performance this time. This is likely in a bid to better counter Apple’s ARM-based M1 CPU, which has put other ARM-based CPUs to shame in recent benchmarks
In order to better rival Apple Silicon, Qualcomm’s next-generation chip won’t come with power-saving cores, according to the report, and will instead feature an eight-core configuration comprising four “Gold+” high-end cores and four “Gold” high-end cores.
These will clock in at 2.43GHz and 2.7GHz, respectively, though WindowsFuture notes that some samples reportedly feature 3GHz clocks too, which suggests Qualcomm could be developing multiple ARM-based CPUs.
The Snapdragon 8cx successor, which is allegedly being referred to internally as the SC8280XP, is also being tested on systems with up to 32GB RAM, according to the report, while previous Qualcomm processors for Windows 10 only supported up to 16GB.
Adding weight to the rumors that Qualcomm is aiming for the high-performance market, the so-called SC8280XP is also said to be based on an integrated Neural Processing Unit (NPU), which the report claims will be significantly faster than Qualcomm’s existing solution by delivering up to 15 TFLOPs of processing power.
Qualcomm’s SC8280XP is still said to be in the early stages of development, so it’s unlikely to be made official any time soon.
Via: Windows Latest
