Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 to Go After AMD and Intel With Up to 18 CPU Cores
Details of Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon X2 system on chip (SoC) have been leaking out, suggesting it could come with up to 18 CPU cores, and onboard SSD and memory elements. If it can maintain the efficiency of the first X-generation processors, this chip may have the potential to compete directly with some of Intel and AMD’s best desktop offerings in raw performance.
As much as the first-generation Snapdragon X Plus and X Elite processors offered impressive performance and incredible efficiency, they aren’t capable of keeping pace with their desktop counterparts from Intel or AMD. However, Qualcomm has long been promising to bring its impressive hardware to the desktop platform under “Project Glymur,” and German publication WinFuture (via Wccftech) claims it’s got an inside line into how the new chips will work.
The new X2 designs will reportedly offer up to 18 Oryon V3 CPU cores. That’s 10 more than the original Snapdragon X Elite design and with a more advanced architecture. With the second generation, Qualcomm increased the boost frequency by several hundred megahertz as well as added support for much faster memory. Third-generation cores would be faster still, and if indeed they were designed for desktop, they would likely have much more power to work with, enabling much greater frequencies and sustained performance.
Another interesting wrinkle in the alleged design is that Qualcomm would use a System In Package (SiP) design, which includes elements of storage and memory within the CPU itself. Reportedly, this will include up to 48GB of onboard memory and up to 1TB of SSD storage located directly on the CPU.
We’ve seen something similar to that with Apple’s M processors, which have onboard memory, and with AMD’s X3D CPUs, which include a larger L3 cache die. If Qualcomm achieved something similar with its next-generation Snapdragon designs, performance could indeed be impressive. Questions do arise for how well NAND flash will do in the hot atmosphere of a CPU, though, as there is always the danger of throttling and faster degradation in hardware not designed to operate at consistently high temperatures.
Wccftech’s previous coverage suggests Qualcomm may be working on an all-in-one liquid cooling solution for its future Snapdragon processors, too, which could help maintain lower operating temperatures, especially if Qualcomm’s new designs also remain efficient.
The new line of chips could be called Snapdragon X2 Ultra Premium, we’re told. Qualcomm has yet to comment.
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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 to Go After AMD and Intel With Up to 18 CPU Cores, source
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