Observed Signal · Jun 19, 2026 · Interview / Podcast Appearance · Source: CNBC Technology · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Qualcomm CEO on AI Agents and New AI Gadgets
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told CNBC’s The Tech Download podcast that a new class of AI agents — software assistants that coordinate across apps and services — will change how users interact with devices, saying “agents are going to be the new app.” Amon said Qualcomm is developing more than 40 different AI-powered device designs, including jewelry, camera-enabled earbuds, pins and watches, and he is especially bullish on smart glasses becoming as significant as smartphones. He framed these devices as wearables that provide contextual sensing for agents, and noted that privacy vs. functionality trade-offs will be central to their adoption.
Qualcomm is a major chip supplier whose device roadmap (40+ AI gadget designs and emphasis on smart glasses) signals forthcoming new consumer device surfaces and agentic user experiences; this could influence hardware ecosystems, app paradigms and privacy/UX considerations relevant to the broader adtech and martech landscape.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm president and CEO, said "agents are going to be the new app."
- Qualcomm is working on over 40 different designs of AI-powered gadgets, including jewelry, camera-enabled earbuds, pins and watches.
- Amon expects smart glasses to be a major device category and potentially as big as smartphones.
- Comments were made on CNBC’s The Tech Download podcast (interview by Arjun Kharpal).
- Amon emphasized the need to balance privacy and functionality as AI agents become more pervasive on devices.
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Related Market Signals & Shifts
Recent verified developments and strategic activity across this market segment.
Qualcomm: AI Agents to Replace Apps; 40+ AI Devices
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon told CNBC the company is working on more than 40 designs for new AI-powered devices — including jewelry, earbuds with cameras, pins and watches — as it prepares for a wave of AI "agents" that he says will become the "new app." Amon argued agents will change how consumers interact with devices and could shift the centre of digital life away from smartphones toward always‑with‑you endpoints like smart glasses. He said Qualcomm is upgrading its chip roadmap for smaller, more energy‑efficient devices and noted these new endpoints will generate exponentially larger data for training models. Amon also said smart glasses shipments could scale from multiple tens of millions today to potentially hundreds of millions within a few years. Published 2026-06-16.
OpenAI reportedly building an AI‑agent smartphone
OpenAI is reportedly developing its own smartphone built around AI agents that perform tasks (writing messages, managing email, bookings, research) instead of relying on traditional apps. Analyst Ming‑Chi Kuo reported that Qualcomm and Mediatek would co‑design a custom processor and that Luxshare would handle manufacturing. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has promoted a similar vision where agents become the primary interaction layer. Kuo suggested the device could redefine smartphones and forecasted potential annual shipments of 300–400 million units. 9to5Google reported the device might be completed late 2026 or early 2027, with mass production targeted for 2028. Qualcomm’s share price rose ~13% after the report.
Qualcomm unveils AI wearable platforms Snapdragon Reality Elite and START
Qualcomm announced two new offerings aimed at powering the next generation of AI wearables: Snapdragon Reality Elite, a mixed-reality platform optimized for on-device AI inference for glasses, and the Scalable Turnkey AI-Ready Toolkit (START), a hardware-and-software white-label toolkit for AI devices starting with smart glasses. CEO Cristiano Amon said Qualcomm is working on more than 40 AI wearable designs. Qualcomm claims Snapdragon Reality Elite improves GPU (up to 60%), CPU (up to 30%) and NPU (up to 160%) performance versus its prior XR platform, can run a 3-billion-parameter language model at ~45 tokens/sec, and supports 4.4K per-eye at 90 fps. START offers reference designs (audio+camera, monocular, binocular) and initial white-label partners include Inspecs and O’Neill (TitanFlex). Early devices using the platform include XREAL Project Aura and an upcoming Play for Dream device.
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