Qualcomm arrived at CES 2026 with a story about how its technology keeps spreading into everyday life. Its booth mixed wearables, personal AI gadgets, smart homes, robots, and vehicles, all tied together by a pitch about intelligence running smoothly from edge to cloud. The company also rolled out the Snapdragon X2 Plus, a new chip meant to bring stronger on-device AI to more affordable PCs later this year. Alongside it came updates in cars and robotics, showing how Qualcomm’s platforms keep branching into new places.
Qualcomm is showcasing a wide range of products, including next-gen wearables, personal AI devices, robots, vehicles, and smart home devices at CES 2026. The company said its exhibition is designed to demonstrate how its platforms scale intelligence from edge to cloud, driving AI innovation that redefines the human experience.
PC
Qualcomm used CES 2026 to introduce the Snapdragon X2 Plus as the newest member of its Snapdragon X2 lineup. The processor targets professionals, creators, and general users who need strong performance, integrated AI acceleration, and extended operating time in systems positioned at lower price tiers. Qualcomm expects devices from several OEM partners to enter the market in the first half of 2026, broadening access to its next-generation PC architecture. The company frames X2 Plus as a catalyst for the upcoming wave of Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs arriving later in the year.
Figure 1. Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X2 Plus. (Source: Qualcomm)
Snapdragon X2 Plus builds on the 3rd-gen Oryon CPU and integrates an 80 TOPS NPU to support rising demand for on-device AI. Qualcomm positions the broader Snapdragon X series as a key driver of the desktop shift toward higher efficiency, denser compute resources, and integrated AI pipelines. Growth in compact and all-in-one designs increases the need for processors that sustain performance in limited thermal space, and Snapdragon extends its mobile-derived architecture to meet those requirements.
The platform combines Oryon CPU clusters with NPUs that scale to 85 TOPS, enabling agentic operations, Copilot+ features, and other AI tasks without moving data off the device. This aligns with sectors such as healthcare and finance, which depend on controlled data handling. Snapdragon X also supports new system formats, including mini PCs and all-in-ones from partners such as Lenovo and Asus.
The Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Plus improve AI throughput and CPU efficiency for mixed-workload environments involving productivity applications, media processing, and model-driven assistants. Integrated Wi-Fi 7, USB4, and Thunderbolt maintain compatibility with modern peripherals, while the Secure Processing Unit, Microsoft Pluton, and Snapdragon Guardian anchor the platform’s security and remote-management framework.
Auto
Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, which powers over 75 million vehicles globally, and the Snapdragon Ride Flex, the first commercialized mixed-criticality platform that unifies digital cockpit and driver assistance functions on a single chip. Qualcomm also launched the A10 5G Modem-RF, the first automotive 5G RedCap modem for cost-effective mission-critical connectivity.
Figure 2. Qualcomm is everywhere in smart cars. (Source: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm demonstrated its automotive portfolio, highlighting the Snapdragon Digital Chassis and its associated platforms. The Digital Chassis integrates Snapdragon Auto Connectivity, Snapdragon Cockpit, Snapdragon Ride, and related subsystems to support connected in-vehicle functions. These components handle communications, infotainment, driver-assistance processing, and vehicle-to-cloud integration within a unified framework. Qualcomm reports that the Snapdragon Digital Chassis currently operates in more than 400 million vehicles across global market segments, reflecting broad adoption among automakers seeking consistent software and hardware integration across model lines.
Snapdragon X2 Plus, Dragonwing IQ10 robotics stack
Qualcomm’s 2026 roadmap features an end-to-end general-purpose robotics architecture powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ10 series, alongside automotive solutions including the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, Snapdragon Cockpit, and Snapdragon Ride. The Snapdragon X2 Elite and X2 Extreme were first unveiled at Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit in September 2025. They are designed to power personal computers capable of running the latest AI software. The X2 Elite and X2 Extreme are sequels to its game-changing PC chips, aiming to bring Windows laptops up to par with Apple Silicon–powered MacBooks.
Figure 3. Qualcomm robotics-focused tech. (Source: Qualcomm)
Qualcomm on Monday announced an end‐to‐end general‐purpose robotics architecture at CES 2026. The architecture will bring industry‐leading power efficiency, safety, and scalability to personal service robots, industrial AMRs, and full‐size humanoids, as per the company.
Qualcomm Qualcomm introduced a full suite of robotics-focused tech to power physical AI. It will be powered by the new Qualcomm Dragonwing IQ10 series along with a strong partner ecosystem, enabling the accelerated deployment of advanced robotics across retail, logistics, manufacturing, and more.
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