Qualcomm poaches the architect behind Intel’s Xeon, but for what purpose?

For its part, Intel has recently experienced setbacks, with restructuring announcements and increasingly fierce competition in the field of artificial intelligence. AMD is also making breakthroughs, particularly with its Epyc processors and GPUs designed for intensive computing. In the midst of this titanic clash, Qualcomm hopes to position itself as a credible alternative, offering chips that are less power hungry and potentially more suited to certain AI workflows.

The new architect from Intel is familiar with the performance and reliability challenges that characterize the world of servers. It could help Qualcomm design processors capable of competing with the best products on the market, including the famous Intel Xeons and AMD’s EPYCs. The ability to integrate advanced features, such as data confidentiality or precise consumption management, will be crucial to attract businesses.

Finally, with AI being a major growth driver, Qualcomm could capitalize on its mobile expertise to import efficient technologies in terms of electricity consumption into data centers. This junction between the experience acquired in mobile and the knowledge of data centers, acquired very recently, could shake up a market which is barely recovering from the latest upheavals caused by the AI ​​boom.

Qualcomm’s offensive in the field of servers is therefore not just a matter of communication: everything indicates that the company intends to push its pawns to compete head-on with Intel and AMD. It remains to be seen whether this new strategy, mixing x86 and Arm expertise, will allow Qualcomm to gain share in such a demanding market. Either way, the prospect of more energy-efficient processors capable of supporting the exponential rise in AI needs suggests that the battle over server chips is only just beginning.