Qualcomm wants in on the action

If one reads nothing besides coverage of this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) one would know that big tech companies are putting the pedal to the metal when it comes to edge computing and 5G. One of those companies, while not currently a dominant player in the space, is Qualcomm.

Qualcomm has long been a major provider of cellular modem chips that was also known for licensing its telecommunications patents, but only has one issued patent in the edge computing sector. Now, after releasing its Cloud AI 100 card last year, company President Cristiano Amon showed an “intelligent edge box” on stage at CES. Qualcomm is working with a large hyperscaler to build a “5G intelligent edge box for 5G connectivity in artificial intelligence (AI) processing and using AI 100,” which the company plans to deploy commercially in the second half of 2020.

At CES, Qualcomm also teamed up with Lenovo to launch what they are calling the world’s first 5G laptop. Earlier in the week, the company also took a stab at the autonomous driving car market, announcing the Snapdragon Ride platform, which uses Qualcomm’s mobile chip technology to help a vehicle drive. There is apparently a collaboration with General Motors in the works on the driver assist system.