Qualcomm’s rumored Snapdragon 1000 could be custom-made for notebooks
Qualcomm's rumored Snapdragon 1000 looks set to be a much greater threat to Intel than first thought. Unlike its Snapdragon 835 and 845 chips, which are designed for smartphones, but have been co-opted for certain notebook designs, the Snapdragon 1000 is said to be designed from the ground up for deployment in notebooks. Even Qualcomm's Snapdragon 850, a higher-clocked version of the 845 targeted at notebooks, will be no match for what Qualcomm has got planned.
According to Winfuture, which claim it in receipt of details about the new SDM1000, it will be a much larger SoC at 20mm x 15mm and sip 12W of electricity, which is substantially more than any smartphone SoC. Even running Windows 10 apps under emulation, this sort of horsepower would certainly put any Windows 10 on ARM PC design using the chip on par with Intel's Y-class CPUs. Particularly when you factor in that the chip will be based on ARM's next-generation, and 35 percent faster, Cortex-A76 architecture.
With the Intel somewhat in disarray following the sudden departure of former CEO Brian Krzanich, its inability to get a handle on its 10nm manufacturing process, the unexpected resurgence of AMD and the wider threat of ARM-based designs gaining in popularity in the server market, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 1000 looks set to add to Intel's woes. When you add in rumors that Apple could be set to release its own ARM-based MacBook, who ever takes over at Intel willl have their work cut out for them.