Qualcomm canceling its Snapdragon Dev kit is a big setback for ARM on desktop
Table of Contents
Microsoft’s and Qualcomm’s collaboration seemed like a strong pairing, with the former pushing Copilot+ in AI PCs and the latter powering these PCs with the Snapdragon X Elite processor. However, even the RTX 4090 wasn't enough to unlock support for Copilot+, and now it seems like the future is dim for Qualcomm's dream of entering the desktop CPU market.
What went wrong?
Intel, AMD, and Apple have dominated the desktop and mobile CPU market for decades. The Snapdragon processors followed in Apple’s footsteps, opting for ARM instead of the x86 architecture.
Since the competition is tough, the best way forward would be to create a rich ecosystem of support, applications, and features for the community to thrive in and start grabbing the attention of the consumer base that is satisfied with the options it currently has.
That said, Qualcomm had the right idea when they introduced the Snapdragon Dev Kit, which allowed developers to build, test, and port applications for Windows. It also featured the Snapdragon X Elite, Qualcomm’s most powerful mobile processor. So, Qualcomm was in a good direction and provided the right hardware, which would've helped overcome issues that might occur during development.
However, according to Jeff Geerling, he received the following email from Arrow.
“Dear Valued Customer,
Please see this important message from Qualcomm:
”At Qualcomm, we are dedicated to pioneering leading technology and delivering premium experiences to our valued customers. The launch of 30+ Snapdragon X-series powered PC’s is a testament to our ability to deliver leading technology and the PC industry’s desire to move to our next-generation technology. However, the Developer Kit product comprehensively has not met our usual standards of excellence and so we are reaching out to let you know that unfortunately we have made the decision to pause this product and the support of it, indefinitely.
Working with the developer community is a priority for Qualcomm. If you want to learn more about Windows on Snapdragon, please engage with us on Discord or head to our developer portal on Qualcomm.com. If you are ready to build your next gen AI PC application, visit the Qualcomm Device Cloud (QDC) today.
Qualcomm has authorized a refund for any charges that have been made by Arrow.“
Based upon the above, we are working to provide a full refund for any charges to your account for your purchase. You should receive this credit/refund within 10 business days. It is not necessary to return any material, if received. Unfortunately, any outstanding orders will be cancelled.
Thank you for your understanding, Arrow”
This is certainly a surprise because why would Qualcomm pull out an integral component that would aid in developing the platform for ARM-based applications on Windows? They did mention in the email that the kit didn't meet their standards, but it had the following specifications:
- Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
- Power supply unit: 180W
- RAM: 4 x 8GB LPDDR5x RAM
- Ports: 2 x 10Gbps USB-A,1 x 2.5 Gbps Ethernet, 1 x microSD card slot
- Storage: 2280 NVMe SSD
- WiFi standard: WiFi 7
- OS: Windows 11 Home
The hardware seems solid; the only outlier is Windows 11 Home. This might be why the Snapdragon Dev Kit wasn't performing as expected: developer-centric features such as Active Directory Support and Remote Desktop Server aren't available for the Home version, but a license is required.
That said, you could upgrade the Home license to include the Pro one, but Qualcomm seems to have overlooked this. They were shipping these kits to developers to develop applications while locking the necessary tools behind a paywall.
On the other hand, Qualcomm has not provided an update regarding this situation or whether they're working on a new Dev Kit or improving the current one. Another reason could be the lackluster reception of Copilot+ PCs, and maybe Qualcomm wants to try other avenues to build its CPU portfolio.
Lastly, the news that AMD and Intel are collaborating to make x86 even stronger could be yet another setback for ARM on desktop PCs in the near future. On the laptop front, ARM is predicted to power 40% of notebooks by 2029.
About the Author