As AMD looks out, a consequence follows. Qualcomm is coming in your crown. Qualcomm’s executives revealed at their annual investor day that they aim to ship a staggering $4 billion worth of CPUs for the laptop and PC market by 2029, nearly rivaling AMD’s current revenue from Ryzen gaming CPUs.
If that gets a pass, it would suggest that AMD’s dominance over the gaming CPU market may be at risk. As Intel faces intensifying competition in the quest for supremacy among gaming CPUs, a fresh challenger emerges in Qualcomm, poised to disrupt the traditional dominance of the two industry leaders. As the demand for eco-friendly technology grows, newer, power-efficient Arm CPUs, such as Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X, are experiencing a surge in adoption, particularly in laptops and mobile devices.
According to CNBC, Qualcomm forecasts annual revenues of approximately $22 billion by 2029, driven by a strategic shift into new markets aimed at reducing its dependence on smartphone CPU sales. The company expects to generate $4 billion from chip production, primarily targeting the laptop segment within the PC market. Qualcomm’s CEO, Cristiano Amon, has highlighted the relevance of their technologies across various industries?
Qualcomm has recently entered the PC market, debuting its Snapdragon chips in Windows laptops this year, and it’s likely to achieve significant success in this space. The latest Snapdragon X hardware consistently impresses, primarily due to its power-efficient design; however, while it’s a significant step forward, its gaming performance falls short of making it captivating enough for serious gamers.
Currently, widespread ambiguity pervades the PC industry, posing significant challenges for companies like Intel and AMD; yet, there’s no guarantee that Qualcomm will achieve its desired success in this space. While AMD enjoys sustained success, its revenue from consumer sales, including Ryzen gaming CPUs, slipped 25% to $4.7 billion in 2023, compared to the previous year.
That mentioned, there are alternatives. Intel’s catastrophic Arrow Lake debut and the preceding Raptor Lake mishaps demonstrate that serious gamers and PC enthusiasts may be forced to adapt, if necessary, in search of improved and more consistent performance, potentially over the long haul. If Intel’s decline persists, and AMD stumbles as well, Qualcomm could emerge as a formidable force, poised to disrupt the market in its wake?
Qualcomm’s move to claim billions of dollars in market revenue for itself serves as a clear indication that it aims to assert dominance in the PC hardware market, whether through organic growth or strategic acquisitions. Rumours persisting over Qualcomm’s potential takeover of Intel have gained momentum in recent months, fueled by the latter’s tumultuous year, which saw a sharp decline in its share value and disappointing performance from its Raptor Lake CPUs, making it an attractive target.
While Intel’s potential acquisition may not directly impact the broader competitive landscape, emerging players like Qualcomm could potentially benefit gamers if they can capitalize on any complacency and provide innovative, unbiased solutions that drive competition and improvement. AMD is demonstrating its superiority with 3D V-Cache CPUs, leaving Intel struggling to find an equivalent solution despite its previous dominance. Qualcomm’s inability to solve this challenge immediately doesn’t preclude them from doing so in the future.
Even if no major issues arise, you’re several years behind the curve with respect to using a Qualcomm CPU for building a new gaming PC. While you’re at it, head over to our in-depth AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D review to discover the key features and considerations behind this powerful processor’s design. Since the availability of 9800X3D is extremely limited, consider our in-depth analysis of the AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D as a viable alternative.
