09:53AM EST - The annual Qualcomm Tech Summit is upon us, and today is the first day of announcements. Cristiano Amon is expected to go into Qualcomm's successes this year as well as look forward to Qualcomm's upcoming roadmap. Starts soon, so follow with AnandTech!

09:58AM EST - Two minutes to go time

09:58AM EST - Despite a year of COVID, we've seen 5G devices permeate down the price brackets

09:59AM EST - We're expecting to hear a number of collaborations with Qualcomm and carriers on 5G mmWave and Sub-6

10:00AM EST - Here we go

10:01AM EST - Snapdragon for photos and AI

10:01AM EST - 8K video

10:01AM EST - Beat AI and multiplayer

10:01AM EST - President Cristiano with the green screen

10:02AM EST - Technology that pushes the boundaries

10:02AM EST - Focus on all things Snapdragon

10:02AM EST - Premium devices and for users

10:02AM EST - Premium is about re-defining experiences

10:02AM EST - Listening to consumers but also ready to push beyond the imaginations

10:02AM EST - Innovation in the premium tier to allow mobile phones to replace other devices

10:03AM EST - The smartphone is mankinds largest technology platform

10:03AM EST - Enabling services better than those they replaced

10:03AM EST - cloud services

10:03AM EST - image sharing and content consumption redefining our lives

10:03AM EST - All about connected experiences

10:03AM EST - Virtual unlimited cloud processing fuelling future services

10:04AM EST - 4G enabled uploading video to the cloud, 5G allows users to edit videos there

10:04AM EST - 5G is essential to allow the full potential

10:04AM EST - Meets latency and reliability demands

10:04AM EST - 50% of users have 5G as a key phone choice

10:04AM EST - Many services are yet to be invented

10:04AM EST - 5G provides the platform

10:05AM EST - Premium always filters down

10:05AM EST - Improving billions of users

10:05AM EST - Relentless focus on innovation required

10:05AM EST - Even with uncertainty

10:05AM EST - Evolution of premium announced today

10:05AM EST - Premium smartphone benchmarks for over a decade

10:06AM EST - Consistently delivering performance

10:06AM EST - powerful innovation engines

10:06AM EST - built on decades of R&D

10:06AM EST - $66billlion invested

10:07AM EST - Every smartphone has groundbreaking technology

10:07AM EST - Unrivalled global ecosystem

10:07AM EST - Never gets success with only minor upgrades

10:07AM EST - Qualcomm is synonymous with premium

10:08AM EST - Snapdragon and 5G are premium connectivity

10:08AM EST - From 2G to 5G

10:08AM EST - Qualcomm has been the leader

10:08AM EST - Over 700 5G designs laucnhed or in development with Snapdragon

10:09AM EST - In first 18 months of 5G, 95+ operators have commercial services

10:09AM EST - 450-550m 5G smartphones in 2021, 750m in 2022

10:09AM EST - 5G speeds in UK are 6x faster than LTE

10:10AM EST - DSS to bring nationwide coverage (Dynamic Spectrum Sharing)

10:10AM EST - Sub-6 carrier aggregation

10:11AM EST - Combine fragmented spectrum

10:11AM EST - Gives carriers worldwide plenty of carrier options

10:11AM EST - Carrier aggregation allows double the data rate

10:12AM EST - Verizon to the call

10:12AM EST - Lot of action at Verizon

10:13AM EST - Launched first 5G network in April 2019

10:13AM EST - 60 US cities with mmWave by end of 2020

10:13AM EST - Chose to up CapEx based on COVID to continue to build required networks

10:13AM EST - 24 sports and similar venues with NFL today

10:14AM EST - 6 airports

10:14AM EST - DSS earlier this year

10:14AM EST - strategy built on trust, innovation, and the best networks

10:14AM EST - This is Verizon Ultra Wide Band (UWB)

10:15AM EST - What does Snapdragon bring to Verizon customers?

10:15AM EST - What QC does is critical to Verizon

10:15AM EST - Devices and networks have to be in sync

10:15AM EST - Partnership needs to be deep and open

10:15AM EST - Next-gen of Snapdragon moves the capabilities forward

10:16AM EST - Stand Alone Core

10:16AM EST - network slicing

10:16AM EST - instrumenting the 5G network differently to 4G for the benefit of users

10:16AM EST - 4 Gbps on already deployed network

10:16AM EST - 5 Gbps in the labs

10:16AM EST - On the road to 10 Gbps

10:16AM EST - 10CC will help get us there

10:17AM EST - New products and services

10:17AM EST - Continued deployment of the best networks, built with Qualcomm

10:17AM EST - Wireless Fiber/Fibre with 5G

10:17AM EST - (everyone needs more fiber)

10:18AM EST - 5G enables cloud connectivity all the time

10:18AM EST - #1 driver of future digital economy

10:18AM EST - Digital transformation of many enterprises

10:18AM EST - Aligned with the vision of the future

10:18AM EST - 5G is the general purpose technology that will power the 4th industrial revolution

10:19AM EST - coupled with other advances in compute, ML, AI, massive IoT, big data

10:19AM EST - all these amazing things, some of which we probably can't imagine right now

10:19AM EST - working with partners in 5G labs

10:19AM EST - slicing allows for services purpose built for the task at hand

10:20AM EST - get 5 HQ streams to your phone while you're in the stadium with the band

10:20AM EST - (and at the home)

10:20AM EST - scale will begin in 2021

10:21AM EST - Also connected enterprise

10:21AM EST - bringing 5G indoors

10:21AM EST - enterprise to every home

10:21AM EST - (slow 5G to outside the house, fast 5G inside the house)

10:21AM EST - Now back to Cristiano

10:21AM EST - 130 operators investing in 5G

10:22AM EST - NTT docomo video time

10:22AM EST - March 2020, first commercial 5G in Japan

10:22AM EST - Exciting portfolio powered by Snapdragon

10:22AM EST - XR, Music, Gaming, Sports, and more

10:23AM EST - enabled by faster speed and greater capacity

10:23AM EST - mmWave in September, 28 GHz band

10:23AM EST - peak 4.5 Gbps

10:23AM EST - Smartphone and mobile routers

10:23AM EST - Soon to launch Sub6 and mmWave Carrier Aggregation

10:23AM EST - 5G standalone coming next year

10:24AM EST - Long standing relationship with Qualcomm based on trust

10:24AM EST - Snapdragon 8-series for best experience on the network

10:24AM EST - More immersive intelligent experiences

10:25AM EST - Cristiano now talking photography

10:25AM EST - Custom ISP

10:25AM EST - Turning smartphones into professional cameras

10:25AM EST - S855 enabled first computer vision ISP

10:25AM EST - S865 was first gigapixel speed

10:25AM EST - 64MP and 4kHDR simultaneous

10:26AM EST - Up to 200MP capture, unlimited slo-mo capture

10:26AM EST - Qualcomm is a camera company too

10:26AM EST - background is taken on Snapdragon

10:26AM EST - Now a video with a photographer

10:28AM EST - (it's not coming through that clear due to streaming - it's not streaming in 1080p, let alone 4K, no option to change)

10:29AM EST - Now gaming

10:29AM EST - 2.7B gamers

10:30AM EST - 1B gamers only play on smartphone

10:30AM EST - No sacrifices for performance or battery life

10:30AM EST - Snapdragon first to display 144 fps

10:30AM EST - 1st to updatable GPU drivers

10:30AM EST - 1st true 10-bit HDR gaming

10:30AM EST - Snapdragon Elite Gaming

10:31AM EST - 1000+ devices with elite gaming have shipped

10:31AM EST - 5G will enable lower latency and more multiplayer gaming options

10:31AM EST - Qualcomm will keep building on experiences

10:32AM EST - Video time

10:32AM EST - long relationships with Qualcomm

10:33AM EST - performance enabled through processors and 5G connectivity

10:34AM EST - Call of Duty mobile

10:35AM EST - on Xperia 1 Mark 2

10:35AM EST - 21:9 gaming

10:35AM EST - 120 Hz in MP mode, finetuned with Sony

10:36AM EST - OnePlus video

10:36AM EST - Oneplus partnered with EPIC for 90FPS on Fortnite

10:37AM EST - 'people aren't laughing at Android gaming any more'

10:37AM EST - Now an esports broadcaster

10:38AM EST - 'I've worked as talent around the world'

10:38AM EST - 'money money money'

10:39AM EST - Back to Cristiano

10:39AM EST - Now for AI

10:40AM EST - Redefining distributed intelligence, all connected by 5G

10:40AM EST - AI is disruptive in smartphone

10:40AM EST - QC invested heavily in AI for 13 years

10:40AM EST - Designed to learn and adapt to users

10:40AM EST - Immersive experiences and interactions

10:41AM EST - Breaking the gap between what eyes can see and what cameras can capture

10:41AM EST - Qualcomm AI Engine leads global benchmark scores

10:41AM EST - Last year, demoed english speech to chinese text

10:41AM EST - last year, SoC could do 15 TOPs

10:41AM EST - this year will be so much more

10:41AM EST - making technologies like this available to all

10:42AM EST - now talking Natural Language Processing

10:43AM EST - Enabling app developers for premium AI experiences

10:44AM EST - into the palm of millions of consumers

10:45AM EST - Optimizing to take advantage of all the performance of Snapdragon

10:45AM EST - Premium tier performance redefines experiences

10:45AM EST - Other industries are celebrating efficient mobile compute

10:46AM EST - Exploring new business models and services

10:46AM EST - on devices and in the cloud

10:46AM EST - it's happening faster than expected

10:46AM EST - Accelerated transformation of businesses

10:46AM EST - even during the pandemic

10:47AM EST - Driving the future of driving

10:47AM EST - Cloud PCs

10:47AM EST - XR and virtual presence

10:47AM EST - Alex Katouzian now to the stage

10:48AM EST - Head of Mobile at Qualcomm - smartphone and PC

10:49AM EST - Next Gen of always connected PCs

10:49AM EST - Remote work lifestyle has high demands

10:50AM EST - Enabled front facing camera acceleration through AI on Snapdragon

10:50AM EST - high resolution video

10:50AM EST - upscaling and clear images

10:50AM EST - audio optimizations

10:50AM EST - leading noise cancellation on the PC

10:50AM EST - No need for extra equipment

10:50AM EST - Battery life

10:50AM EST - Always a choice between small device with small battery, or large with large battery

10:51AM EST - Qualcomm enables light devices on Snapdragon and can do multiple days between charges while fanless

10:51AM EST - (it's true, the battery lasts a long long time)

10:51AM EST - No need to buy special dongles for mobile connectivity

10:51AM EST - Scaling across many tiers

10:52AM EST - 7c devices came out recently

10:52AM EST - Snapdragon 8cx Gen 2

10:52AM EST - New Surface Pro X with SQ2

10:52AM EST - Expanded recently into chromebooks

10:52AM EST - Many more devices coming soon

10:53AM EST - Today users with smartphones are adopting bluetooth earpieces and Smartwatches

10:53AM EST - Next product is going to be AR glasses

10:53AM EST - It's all about co-design with other Qualcomm projects

10:54AM EST - Qualcomm has the majority share in the XR market

10:54AM EST - XR1 and XR2

10:54AM EST - Now Cloud AI

10:54AM EST - High perf low power AI inference for datacenter

10:55AM EST - using same IP as mobile

10:55AM EST - enabling end-to-end compatibility

10:55AM EST - 400 TOPs on best hardware

10:55AM EST - Commercialized in 2021

10:56AM EST - 40% of operators are offering fixed 5G wireless or home 5G broadband

10:56AM EST - 5G modems and systems

10:56AM EST - built on Snapdragon X55

10:56AM EST - All derived by smartphone

10:57AM EST - 5G is to be enabled in 400 series products

10:58AM EST - $68billion in mobile gaming in 2019 - $76b in 2020 expected

10:59AM EST - Snapdragon is a complete solution

10:59AM EST - Announcing next premium tier platform

11:01AM EST - Snapdragon 888 with 5G

11:01AM EST - 888 because China. It's a lucky number

11:01AM EST - A new era for mobile

11:01AM EST - four major pillars - low power compute, comms, etc

11:01AM EST - 3rd-gen X60 modem-RF system

11:02AM EST - mmWave, Sub-6 CA, TDD/FDD CA

11:02AM EST - 6th Gen AI Engine

11:02AM EST - 3rd Gen Elite Gaming

11:02AM EST - New Hexagon DSP built from ground up

11:02AM EST - Biggest Adreno jump yet

11:02AM EST - Triple down on photography

11:03AM EST - Xiaomi to the virtual stage

11:03AM EST - S888 is the most powerful mobile processor in the world

11:04AM EST - Great success with Xiaomi and Qualcomm

11:04AM EST - next gen Xiaomi smartphone will launch soon

11:04AM EST - All these partners are committed to S888

11:05AM EST - Lekwa Motiwala to the virtual stage

11:05AM EST - Worked all the way up from Snapdragon S1

11:06AM EST - S888 designed to deliver premium experiences

11:06AM EST - Truly a global product

11:06AM EST - X60 modem is the only global smartphone platform across the industry

11:07AM EST - DSS, SA, NSA, Sub6, mmWave, all 5G Carrier Aggregation

11:08AM EST - New AI SDK for Hexagon

11:08AM EST - new sensing hub

11:08AM EST - 26 TOPs in overall perf

11:09AM EST - (M1 does 11 TOPs iirc)

11:10AM EST - Mobile gaming accounts for half of all gaming revenue. +13% YoY

11:11AM EST - Now camera

11:12AM EST - Spectra ISP

11:13AM EST - 2.7 Gigapixel per second ISP, +35% over S865

11:13AM EST - 120 photos at 12MP per second

11:13AM EST - enabling tons of new camera experiences

11:15AM EST - Using camera and 5G to enable VR RC racing

11:16AM EST - S88 reference device phones

11:17AM EST - More details on S888 tomorrow for deep dives

11:18AM EST - That's a wrap for today.

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  • ikjadoon - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    “50% of users have 5G as a key phone choice”

    Was this a survey of Qualcomm modem engineers?

    9/10 people will get 5G because there’s no other choice: 5G isn’t a key differentiator. I’m sure users will much prefer latter 5G phones vs this year’s X55 / X60 rush job.

    Somebody’s gotta be first (in their stranglehold monopoly across all major smartphones), so Qualcomm is taking one for the team.
  • MetaCube - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    How are the X55/X60 "rushed" ?
  • ikjadoon - Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - link

    Oh, thank you: I should've written X50/X55. The X60 integration is actually a return to normalcy, but with the stupidity of the past two years' shenanigans, I'll wait to see how it performs.

    X55 was the first modem in a very long time that Qualcomm *could not* integrate into its SoCs. It was a second chip that needed to be added to the PCB, significantly increasing cost, complexity, and power draw. If that doesn't scream rushed, I don't know what is.

    Integrated modems were the major selling point for Qualcomm for a very long time: their jump to a discrete IC was not....welcome nor expected:

    X55 has had a lot of words:
    https://www.anandtech.com/show/16271/qualcomm-snap...
    https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/303289-is-qualc...
    https://www.androidauthority.com/qualcomm-snapdrag...
    https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/02/thanks-qua...

    X50: there's no words. It literally only supported 5G and no 4G, thus requiring two modems per device. It was literally targeted for "early trials",

    https://www.trustedreviews.com/news/qualcomm-unvei...
  • SSNSeawolf - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    Ahola Ian Curtes
  • 0iron - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    LOL, Aloha 😄
  • DanD85 - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    Such a boring Livestream! No wonder they disable the LiveChat section! So much technical jargon! They are such masters in saying a lot but with so little meaning!
  • MetaCube - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    If you think there's too much technical jargon then the conference isn't targeted to you.
  • YB1064 - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    If you had stuck around, you would have heard their updates on your favorite RGB lights.
  • Ppietra - Tuesday, December 1, 2020 - link

    M1 does 11 TOPs on the Neural Engine! We don’t know what would be the equivalent number to what Qualcomm presents, though probably it would be smaller.
  • name99 - Wednesday, December 2, 2020 - link

    Somewhere I think I saw 26 TOPs.

    TOPs is especially problematic for NN's because all it gives is a "guaranteed not to exceed" number; it doesn't give a real-world usage number. (in the same way that LINPACK is useless for predicting anything but dense linear algebra.)
    (Even apart from the issue of what counts as an "OP" -- does your NN go down to binary networks where the weights are limited to the values 0, +-1?)

    CNNs (ie visual tasks) probably get close to that maximum TOPs (though even then there are data flow issues) but far more interesting, IMHO, is how these devices will perform on language, which is a much more irregular task.

    I suspect for a few years it's going to be pointless trying to compare across devices. Apps and models built for Android or Intel won't work with Apple and vice versa.
    Instead we'll get a whole lot more of the usual "Siri sucks" (said by the person who last used it four years ago) with rejoinder "Oh yeah, well Google sucked when I tried it" (said by the person who last used it three years ago), even apart from the issue of no-one outside these companies knows how much performance changes depending on the device hardware (ie maybe the exact same version of Siri understands you somewhat better on an A14 SoC than on an A10 SoC just because a much fancier NN is being used for the voice recognition?)

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