Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 may have a dedicated NPU

GeorgeJackson1

Artificial intelligence is a function that is increasingly finding its way in smartphones. As a result, chipset manufacturers need to adapt their platforms to provide adequate computing power. And now Qualcomm is rumored to integrate this processing chip in its new Snapdragon 855 platform. According to new reports, the chip is expected to have an NPU (Neural Processing Unit) integrated right into it.

Until now, the processing related to the operations of artificial intelligence were delegated to the CPU and to the DSP, but the presence of a dedicated NPU should significantly increase performance. It is still early to predict more information, which will arrive with the official presentation, to discover the real potential of the new product.

Qualcomm would be making changes in the name of the processors to differentiate between those meant for mobile phones from those that will be integrated into desktop computers or laptops. In fact, the Snapdragon 1000, which is expected to compete with the Intel processors for computers, will finally have the name of SCX8180. Indicating a nomenclature more similar to the one used by Samsung Exynos. The new Snapdragon 855 would be code-named on SDM8150

Even the lower range processor of Qualcomm SoCs in future could feature dedicated NPU, as suggested by the abbreviations SM7150 and SM7250 that appear in some OPPO documents. According to reports from WinFuture, an SDM855AU processor variant is being developed for use in the automotive sector, manufactured at the 7nm processing unit.

Qualcomm will present the Snapdragon 855 and the Snapdragon 1000 in December 2018 as part of its annual Tech Summit. The Snapdragon 855 will go to smartphones, while the Snapdragon 1000 will go to Windows laptops and tablets.