Qualcomm Debuts 45nm Snapdragon Chipset

Chipmaker Qualcomm announced the latest addition to its Snapdragon platform of chips that uses 45 nanometer process technology for improved processing performance and longer battery life. The company says the Snapdragon QSD8650A chipset will be scheduled for sampling before the end of 2009.

The chipset includes a 1.3 GHz processor for 30 percent higher performance as well as enhanced multimedia and 2-D and 3-D graphics, according to a release issued by Qualcomm. The 45nm technology process also resulted in a 30 percent dynamic power reduction and a standby power of less than 10 milliwatts.
“This latest addition to the growing family of Snapdragon chipsets will help our customers to develop faster, more power-efficient smartphones and smartbooks,” said the senior vice president of marketing and product management at Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, Luis Pineda. “This new 45 nm device shows our continued commitment to extending the capabilities of the Snapdragon platform with leading-edge process technology and an expanded list of integrated features.”

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In addition to its improved processor and faster bus speed, the chipset also offers multimode Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) and CDMA 3G mobile broadband connectivity in the same 15x15mm package as the company’s current Snapdragon chipsets. The Snapdragon family also includes the original 1 GHz QSD8x50 chipsets and the 45 nm QSD8672 chipset with dual CPUs.

The chipset also features integrated GPS and high-definition video recording and playback, Bluetooth 2.1 technology and support for Wi-Fi , high-resolution WXGA displays and mobile TV technologies such as MediaFLO, DVB-H and ISDB-T.

The current UMTS air interfaces are for the most part based on Qualcomm patents, and Qualcomm's control over 3G technology and the revenue connected to licensing is considered one of the driving forces behind many developments in the mobile industry. The company said more than 15 manufacturers are developing more than 30 Snapdragon-based products, the first of which is the Toshiba TG01 smartphone, introduced in February 2009.

The announcement was made along with a burst of press releases from the company at the 2009 Computex Taipei computer and technology show. Qualcomm also revealed recent software developers supporting Snapdragon chipsets, including RealNetworks, Movial and Phoenix Technologies.

“Creative and powerful applications are a key part of the type of next-generation user experience Qualcomm is enabling with its Snapdragon platform,” said Pineda. “We are pleased to have so many innovative and leading-edge developers now writing software for Snapdragon-based devices, which will include not only the industry's most advanced smartphones but also a new category of smartbooks that deliver an experience fundamentally different than anything else on the market today.”