Qualcomm is sharpening its focus on high-performance computing. The approach was evident during the recently concluded Snapdragon Summit 2025, where it announced the second-generation Snapdragon X2 Elite chip which had gaming and AI acceleration at its heart. During the summit, Digit got a chance to sit with Kedar Kondap, Senior Vice President and GM of Qualcomm’s Compute division to understand company’s ambitions in the PC market and various aspects of the the new chip.
SurveyGaming was a headline feature of the keynote, with Qualcomm signaling its intent to bring the same dominance it enjoys in smartphones to the world of PCs. Kondap called gaming “a category that excites almost everybody” and noted that Qualcomm’s long-standing partnerships with game developers and engine makers are now being extended to Windows devices.
The new Snapdragon X2 Elite promises more than 2x graphics performance over the first-generation platform. Qualcomm has also worked to ensure compatibility with AAA titles, addressing lingering challenges such as support for Epic Games’ Easy Anti-Cheat, a critical feature for online multiplayer titles.
“That was huge progress for us,” Kondap said. The company also confirmed that Fortnite is coming to Snapdragon-powered PCs, alongside new titles like Alien Rogue Inversion from Servios. It’s even bringing an on-device AI experience in Alien: Rogue Incursion Evolved Edition using the X2 Elite’s NPU. These might be the first serious steps from Qualcomm in pushing gaming on Windows PCs.
Pushing The Boundaries Of Performance And Efficiency
While gaming grabbed attention, Qualcomm’s broader ambition is to redefine the performance and efficiency equation for laptops. Kondap explained that the first-generation Snapdragon X Elite prioritised three pillars: performance, battery life and AI. He said that the new X2 Elite will raise the bar across all three.
Powered by the third-generation Orion CPU, the platform delivers 30–50 per cent CPU performance gains and up to 60 per cent improvements in performance-per-watt compared to the previous generation. Kondap described these jumps as “pretty much unprecedented” in the PC industry.
Battery efficiency, a hallmark of Snapdragon-powered laptops, remains central to Qualcomm’s pitch. The company has already demonstrated what is possible with devices like the HP Omnibook 5, which boasts up to 34 hours of battery life. With the X2 Elite, Qualcomm aims to sustain and expand this advantage over traditional x86-based competitors.
The Snapdragon X2 Elite also represents a dramatic leap in AI capability. The platform integrates a new NPU (Neural Processing Unit) that delivers 80 TOPS (trillions of operations per second) which is a huge up from 45 TOPS in the first generation. Qualcomm believes this headroom is critical as the industry shifts toward agentic AI models and always-on intelligent experiences.
“We see the market moving towards Agentic AI, and we see the need for more TOPS,” Kondap emphasised, framing AI as the defining battleground for the next wave of PC innovation.
The Market Strategy
Unlike last year, when Qualcomm announced laptops almost immediately after unveiling the first Snapdragon X Elite, the company now expects the first wave of X2 Elite-powered laptops to launch in spring 2026. According to Kondap, rollout timelines depend on individual OEM strategies, but he is encouraging partners to ensure global and Indian availability aligns.
Qualcomm might still be relatively new to the PC processor space but is positioning itself as a serious challenger to entrenched players. “
It’s been 15 months and we launched 22 devices on the same day. That is unprecedented in Windows history,” Kondap said, underlining Qualcomm’s momentum. He added that Qualcomm’s combination of longer battery life, superior performance-per-watt and industry-first AI acceleration sets it apart.
“We’ve already leapfrogged in terms of performance and efficiency, and with X2, we’ve raised the bar again.”
With Snapdragon X2 Elite, Qualcomm is making an aggressive play to shape the future of Windows PCs, betting that its legacy in mobile computing can translate into leadership in a market long dominated by Intel and AMD. Whether this translates into actual success or not, we will get to know only when the first set of PCs with Snapdragon X2 Elite chip drop sometime next year. But if we are actually entering an era for thinner and ligher gaming PCs, I don’t see a lot of peple complain.
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Manas Tiwari
Manas has spent a decade in media, juggling between Broadcast, Online, Radio and Print journalism. Currently, he leads the Technology coverage across Times Now Tech and Digit for the Times Network. He has previously worked for India Today where he launched Fiiber for the group, Zee Business and Financial Express. He spends his week following the latest tech trends, policy changes and exploring gadgets. On other days, you can find him watching Premier League and Formula 1. View Full Profile
