Qualcomm is developing datacenter CPUs to address accelerating agentic AI workloads.

Qualcomm is preparing a brand new datacenter CPU based on Arm architecture, with rumors suggesting an announcement as early as June this year. The timing aligns perfectly with the growing needs of Agentic AI customers. While speculation surrounds the chip's imminent unveiling, Qualcomm has already confirmed the project's existence through earnings calls, moving this beyond mere rumor to an official company initiative.

Currently, Qualcomm's datacenter solutions exist in the form of accelerator cards and racks, primarily built on the company's Hexagon NPUs and AI accelerators designed for inference workloads. To strengthen its CPU development efforts, the company has made strategic acquisitions and hires: last year, Qualcomm hired a former Intel Xeon chief architect and acquired Ventana Micro Systems, a startup developing CPUs based on the RISC-V instruction set. In May last year, Qualcomm also announced that it had signed an MoU with HUMAIN, a Saudi-based AI firm, for the development of cutting-edge AI and CPU solutions.

Qualcomm's datacenter CPU strategy is positioning the company as a closer partner to NVIDIA in the AI segment. According to CNBC reporting following Qualcomm's HUMAIN announcement, the new CPUs could be paired with NVIDIA's chips. NVIDIA currently relies on its own Vera/Grace CPUs for rack-scale AI servers, while also leveraging Intel Xeon for a certain set of AI offerings. Intel's EMIB and advanced packaging solutions have also been discussed as attractive technology options for Qualcomm's CPU ventures.

With Agentic AI bringing CPUs back into focus across the industry, Qualcomm has centered its efforts on finalizing plans for a datacenter CPU designed to attract numerous customers. Qualcomm Data Center Solutions is actively developing state-of-the-art data center CPU solutions, and given that June isn't far away, the market may soon learn whether this rumor holds weight.