Qualcomm Launches New Chips for Robots and Windows Laptops

Qualcomm Technologies has unveiled the Dragonwing IQ10, a system-on-chip specifically optimized for powering humanoid robots.

The company introduced the module at CES in Las Vegas, alongside several new processors designed for connected devices and laptops.

According to Qualcomm, the Dragonwing IQ10 can support humanoid robots equipped with more than 20 cameras. It also integrates compatibility with additional sensors such as LiDAR and radar. These sensor inputs can be processed using AI models running on the chip's integrated neural processing unit (NPU).

The processor delivers 350 TOPS (trillion operations per second) of performance for AI workloads—over three times the AI capability of Qualcomm’s previous flagship robot chip. The earlier Dragonwing IQ9 supported large language models with up to 13 billion parameters, suggesting that the IQ10 could handle significantly larger and more complex models.

In addition to the NPU, the new chip features a graphics processing unit (GPU) and an 18-core central processing unit (CPU). Sensitive software runs on an isolated circuit cluster known as a secure enclave. The design also incorporates error correction mechanisms, enabling the chip to autonomously fix certain data processing errors.

The Dragonwing IQ10 was launched alongside another AI-optimized chip, the Dragonwing Q-7790. Designed for connectivity systems that process visual data, this chip enables applications like warehouse robots to run vision models for detecting and avoiding nearby obstacles.

Built on a 3nm manufacturing process, the Dragonwing Q-7790 includes an octa-core CPU, a GPU, and a cybersecurity accelerator. Its AI engine offers 77 TOPS of performance, sufficient to run large language models with up to 11 billion parameters.

The third addition to the Dragonwing family is the Dragonwing Q-8750, tailored for edge devices with moderate processing needs such as smart TVs, production line monitoring cameras, and other AI-powered appliances. This chip provides 24 TOPS of inference performance.

At today’s CES event, Qualcomm also launched a new lineup of laptop processors named the Snapdragon X2 Plus series. At launch, it comprises four chips fabricated using TSMC’s 3nm node, each optimized for high performance.

The most powerful chip in the lineup is the X2P, featuring a 10-core CPU. Qualcomm claims its single-core performance is 35% faster than the previous generation. The X2P also integrates a GPU, an NPU capable of up to 80 TOPS, and a 34MB cache.

Qualcomm expects the first laptops powered by the Snapdragon X2 Plus chips to begin shipping later this quarter.