Qualcomm is going all out for its Snapdragon X chips by releasing a Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows alongside bringing the Qualcomm AI Hub to computers sporting the new processor. The company is hoping that with these two moves it can win over software makers with these two new additions to its ecosystem. It’s an important group the company needs to bring onboard if the Snapdragon X chips are going to reach their full potential.
The Snapdragon Dev Kit for Windows includes a native toolchain that includes VSCode alongside libraries, frameworks, and runtimes that aim to make recompiling applications natively for Snapdragon easier for developers. Qualcomm says these dev kits will come with a Developer Edition of its Snapdragon X Elite processor. Moreover, it will have the ports and form factor best suited for development work. These kits are now available for preorder with retail availability coming on June 18 and will cost $899.99.
Qualcomm is also making the Qualcomm AI Hub available to developers looking to bring their applications over to the Snapdragon X series of chips, specifically for those who work with AI based applications. The AI Hub can be a one stop shop for developers, as it will provide access to a slew of pre-optimized AI models for developers that need them. Qualcomm says that developers will also be able to easily test and validate their models on devices that are hosted in the cloud.
The AI Hub will also make it possible for developers to use their own AI models that can run on Snapdragon X devices, and will have support for frameworks such as TensorFlow, Pytorch, and ONNX. The company says it’s “committed to providing developers with the tools and resources they need to unleash the full potential of on-device generative AI.”
Qualcomm is trying to get their latest chips on the right track by wooing developers. One of the biggest problems with ARM based Windows devices has been a lack of support from software makers. Hopefully things will go differently with the Snapdragon X and these initiatives.