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March 17, 2017

Qualcomm Snapdragon is now a platform, not a processor

The company introduces new naming structure to represent full suite of solutions.

By CBR Staff Writer

Chip maker Qualcomm Technologies is changing the way it refers to its Snapdragon processors.

The company said it will no longer refer to its Snapdragon system-on-a-chips (SoCs) as processors, and will rename them platforms instead.

The changes and updates to the company’s product brand positioning will be rolled out in the coming months.

Qualcomm announced the update in a blogpost noting that the word ‘processor’ is an inadequate representation of what the technology actually is.

The company said: “In truth, Snapdragon is more than a single component, a piece of silicon, or what many would misinterpret as the CPU; it’s an anthology of technology, comprising hardware, software, and services that are not fully captured in a word like “processor.”

Going ahead, the company’s branding will apply only to premium mobile platforms, while processors in the 200 tier will be relabelled under the new Qualcomm Mobile brand in an effort to differentiate their value.

Qualcomm said: “The shift isn’t seismic, but we believe it is a step in the right direction and that it will help us better demonstrate the overall value of a chip, beyond “speeds and feeds.”

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Read more: The Year of the Snapdragon: New Qualcomm mobile chips target next-generation smartphones & wearables

The company is of view that the rebranding will enable it to better demonstrate the acquisitions it made to improve its position as a semiconductor player, as well as express that it has moved from mobile devices into sectors like automotive, mobile PCs, servers, IP cameras, wearables, drones, VR, and AR.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm launched its latest Snapdragon platform, with the 835 family created in partnership with Samsung using the latter’s 10-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology.

The 835 is expected to ship commercially in devices during the first half of this year.

Snapdragon 835 follows the Snapdragon 820/21 processor, which has more than 200 designs in development.

Last month, Qualcomm introduced a new virtual reality development kit (VRDK) for the Snapdragon 835 mobile platform.

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