Will Qualcomm's purchase of Nuvia have the impact they anticipate? According to one assessment, it is "very promising."
What you need to know :
- Early in 2021, Qualcomm purchased Nuvia, which has Apple silicon developers.
- In 2024, Qualcomm anticipates releasing its next-generation desktop and laptop chips.
- According to a recent source, Qualcomm has a desktop CPU with 12 cores, a separate GPU, and "identical memory/cache configuration as [Apple's] M1" processor.
Since its initial announcement in 2016, Windows on ARM has faced a particularly difficult journey (even earlier if you count Surface RT). The environment has been gradually improved by Qualcomm, Microsoft, and software firms, but it still falls short of Apple's M1 and more recent M2 ARM-like chips.
According to a recent tip from Kuba Wojciechowski, also known on Twitter as @Za-Raczke, one of Qualcomm's next Nuvia "Phoenix" designs for 2024 is intended for desktop use. The processor, code-named "Hamoa," is said to have 12 "in-house" cores, consisting of four efficiency cores and eight performance cores.
Nuvia was purchased by Qualcomm in January 2021. The business was founded by ex-Apple engineers, including those who created the A-series CPUs for the corporation, which later became the M-series for laptops and desktops.
It's interesting to note that "Hamoa's" memory and cache configuration are said to be comparable to Apple's M1.
In contrast, the Apple M1 features four "Firestorm" cores with great performance and four "Icestorm" cores with low power consumption. SMALL DESIGN (something Intel is now using in 12th and 13th Gen processors).
Wojciechowski, who is renowned for leaking information about forthcoming technologies, oddly calls the CPU a "desktop chip," which is surprising given that we'd anticipate Qualcomm to focus primarily on mobile devices and laptops. There is some leeway for interpretation here, but it is clearly possible to integrate ARM-like CPUs into desktop computers, as demonstrated by the new Windows Dev Kit 2023 ("Project Volterra") from Microsoft and the most recent iMacs from Apple.
Given that ARM processors are currently incompatible with AMD or NVIDIA processors, the claim that "Hamoa" has a discrete GPU (dGPU) is not surprising. Nevertheless, as we are unaware of the specifics of Nuvia's designs, such as whether or not it supports Thunderbolt 4 and external GPUs, anything is still conceivable.
Take that as you will, as there are no comparisons made to current generation Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chips (found in Microsoft's new Surface Pro 9 with 5G) or Apple's M2 series, let alone Intel's 12th Gen mobile chips. Instead, Wojciechowski's source claims that the new chip's performance is "extremely promising."
We also don't know anything about the chips' manufacturing procedure, power consumption rates, driver support, or software engineering.
Due to the high level of interest, Qualcomm has recently claimed many "design wins" from OEM partners. In addition, Qualcomm is faced with a lawsuit from Arm Ltd., which alleges that Qualcomm's Nuvia designs constitute trademark infringement and a violation of license agreements.
The annual Snapdragon Summit is being held by Qualcomm from November 15 to November 17, so possibly the firm will discuss the current state of its upcoming Nuvia chip designs and any performance predictions at that time.