Qualcomm Invests in Quantum Machines

 More on this move,  has to be serious.

Qualcomm Ventures Invests in Quantum Machines to Power the Future of Quantum Computing

TEL AVIV, Israel, Oct. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Quantum Machines, creator of the first universal quantum computing cloud infrastructure, today announced an investment from Qualcomm Ventures LLC. The investment in Quantum Machines is the first by Qualcomm Ventures in the Quantum Computing space and is an extension of the company's Series B round announced earlier this year. Quantum computing will unleash a computational revolution, producing computers far more advanced and powerful than any  ... ' 

Qualcomm Smart Cities And Cepton

Cepton Joins Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program, Bringing Expertise in Smart Lidar Technologies for Higher Levels of Safety, Intelligence and Connectivity

Cepton announced its membership in the Qualcomm® Smart Cities Accelerator Program.

Bringing Expertise in Smart Lidar Technologies for Higher Levels of Safety, Intelligence and Connectivity

Cepton announced today its membership in the Qualcomm® Smart Cities Accelerator Program.  

The Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program brings technologies and companies together to collaborate, innovate, and accelerate the rollout of smart cities and smart connected spaces globally.  Cepton believes its presence in this ecosystem aligns with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.’s vision of bringing efficient, safe, and advanced technology to fast-growing urban environments. With its membership, Cepton aims to advance the use of lidar-based solutions with ecosystem members of the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program across smart cities and smart connected spaces.

Through the Qualcomm® IoT Services Suite, Cepton and one of its key partners in smart spaces, The Indoor Lab, plan to collaborate with Qualcomm Technologies in offering Smart Venues as a Service, utilizing a lidar-based crowd analytics system which adheres to the privacy concerns and optimizes the utilization of spaces. ... ' 

Qualcomm Launches 5G and AI to Target Commercial Drones

Qualcomm 5G Drones using  AI for Commercial Connectivity Platform

Smartphones in the sky: Qualcomm launches first 5G and AI platform targeting commercial drones

After supplying computer chips for NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, Qualcomm has unveiled next generation technologies to help power safe, beyond line-of-sight drone flights on Earth.

BY MIKE FREEMAN  AUG. 17, 2021 6:08 PM PT

Fresh off being in the limelight for its processors powering NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars, Qualcomm has rolled out its next-generation technologies for drones on Earth — aiming to drive adoption beyond hobbyists and into commercial industries.

The San Diego wireless technology company announced its Flight RB5 5G Platform on Tuesday. It is the first drone system to include 5G connectivity and artificial intelligence technology, which eventually could help enable autonomous, beyond-line-of-sight flights for such things as crop inspection, search and rescue, powerline/wind turbine monitoring, package delivery, mapping and so on.

In addition to the processing/connectivity platform, Qualcomm also launched its first-ever reference design kit for drone developers — essentially an aircraft body, rotors and other necessities to help companies develop drones faster and easier. ... '   

Pin Screens to the Walls

Is it the future of display to have information pinned on the wall.  Or floating in space?

Qualcomm’s new AR ‘Smart Viewer’ lets you pin virtual screens to your walls

Lenovo adopted the design for its ThinkReality glasses

By Adi Robertson@thedextriarchy  in TheVerge

Chip maker Qualcomm has introduced a new reference design for augmented reality glasses: an AR “smart viewer” you can tether to a phone or PC via USB-C. Called the XR1 Smart Viewer, the system is meant to be lightweight and look (sort of) like sunglasses, while also enabling features like hand tracking and spatial awareness. The first glasses based on its design are set for release in mid-2021. .. "

Qualcomm Chip Research

Smaller, faster chips to learn and deliver.

Qualcomm research could lower the barriers to visual AI everywhere, By Jack Gold in Venturebeat

Demand is growing for AI solutions that process images from cameras and other photo sensors. These solutions have applications in security, autonomous vehicles, healthcare, smart cities, and many other areas, but the more advanced they become, the more computationally intensive they get. So creating more efficient AI computational devices is a necessity for advancing the field.

Chip maker Qualcomm held a series of briefings late last month that point to a solution on this front. The company discussed an R&D project it has undertaken to reduce the amount of compute necessary to do visual AI, and thus create chips that are smaller, more cost effective, and use less power. ... "

DISH and Qualcomm 5G RAN

More development of robust network infrastructure planned.

DISH and Qualcomm to Collaborate on the Development of the Nation's First O-RAN Compliant 5G Network

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. and SAN DIEGO, Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- DISH Network Corporation and Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced their collaboration to test open and virtualized RAN 5G solutions containing the new Qualcomm® 5G RAN Platforms to help fast track DISH's rollout of the nation's first cloud-native, Open RAN-compliant 5G network. DISH will utilize the Qualcomm 5G RAN Platforms through DISH's network vendors and device partners. The platforms are designed to allow emerging network  ... " 

via  https://www.prnewswire.com/

New Qualcomm Mobile Chip

Advances in hardware improve where and how efficiently problems can be solved.  We are moving forward.

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 Plus is its most powerful mobile chip, designed for gaming (and AI)     10 percent more power than the original Snapdragon 865  ... 

By Chaim Gartenberg@cgartenberg in TheVerge ... 

Activ Surgical Joins with Qualcomm Smart Cities

Intriguing connection for healthcare in the smart city.

Activ Surgical Joins Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program
Participation to include a collaboration with Innominds to develop next generation surgical sensing capabilities that will reduce preventable surgical errors and complications across the U.S. and globally ... 

BOSTON, June 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Activ Surgical, a digital surgery pioneer, today announced that it has joined the Qualcomm® Smart Cities Accelerator Program and is collaborating with Innominds on the development of next generation surgical sensing capabilities that will usher in a new era of visibility and insights for surgeons around the world. As part of the Qualcomm® Advantage Network, the Qualcomm Smart Cities Accelerator Program is designed to connect cities, municipalities.... '

Qualcomm Attracting Robotics Developers with New Chips

Seeing continued directions from Qualcomm.

Qualcomm aims to woo robotics developers with new chips, tools  in Reuters
Building robots and drones is messy: Developers must pull together sensors to be the eyes and ears, chips for the brains and motors to make the device move, tying them all together with several kinds of software. ... " 

5G Rollout is Proceeding Well

What will the implications be for broad rollout of 5G?

Qualcomm President: 5G Rollout Is Doing Just Fine

Qualcomm has spent three decades working on the next big thing in wireless. The company’s sales peaked at $26.5 billion in 2014, as fourth-generation, or 4G, phones came of age. Now the smartphone chip maker is waiting for a new, 5G peak. It’s coming. Qualcomm expects 175 million to 225 million 5G handsets to be sold worldwide this year, even amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Wall Street expects Qualcomm’s revenue to hit $28 billion in 2022.

Barron’s recently spoke with Qualcomm (ticker: QCOM) President Cristiano Amon, a 25-year veteran of the company, about the much-anticipated 5G rollout, global technology competition, and the coronavirus.   ... " 
 

Qualcomm Self Driving Chips

More indications that the winter is not that chill, AI being embedded in chips for general use/.  This did not happen during the last winter. 

Qualcomm Announces Chips .... 

Qualcomm, which also makes modems and other technologies needed for 5G, is now competing in self-driving chips with companies like Intel's Mobileye and Nvidia.

Summary:

-Qualcomm announces new chips to give cars autonomous capabilities.
-The system, called Snapdragon Ride, will ship to carmakers later this year and could be included in production as soon as 2023, Qualcomm said. 
-The system will support features like lane-keeping as well as the development of full self-driving applications like robo-taxis. .... " 

Qualcomm Builds a Better Fingerprint Reader

Interesting out of Qualcomm.   The size is noted,  need to see it downsized.

Qualcomm builds a bigger, better in-screen fingerprint reader
Never miss your fingerprint scanner again with this giant new sensor.     By Ron Amadeo

In-screen fingerprint readers were the standard form of Android biometrics on 2019 flagships, and in 2020 we'll start seeing the second-generation versions of this technology. Qualcomm is hosting its big tech show this week, and one of the first announcements is the new version of its "3D Sonic Max" ultrasonic in-screen fingerprint sensor. The second-gen sensor is absolutely huge. Qualcomm says it's 17 times larger than the previous version.

In-screen fingerprint readers offer the benefit of being invisible and under the screen, and they can go on the front of the device while still allowing for an all-screen smartphone design. Being on the front lets you activate the fingerprint reader while the phone is on a desk, without picking it up. The downside is that there's not tactile guidance for where your finger should go. There's just a big, smooth pain of glass, and if you miss the fingerprint sensor, you're going to fail to unlock your phone. For in-screen fingerprint readers, bigger is better, since a wider target area means less of a chance you miss the invisible reader..... "

Qualcomm Creates Fund for 5G Use Beyond Phones

Being speed, what are the applications in play?  Where can we predict particular useful ventures that we should support?

Qualcomm creates $200 million fund for 5G uses beyond phones in Reuters

Qualcomm Inc on Thursday said it has created a $200 million venture capital fund to invest in startup companies looking to use 5G technology in devices other than smartphones.

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc on Thursday said it has created a $200 million venture capital fund to invest in startup companies looking to use 5G technology in devices other than smartphones.

Qualcomm is supplying chips for 5G, the next generation of mobile networks rolling out this year, to phone makers such as Samsung Electronics Co Ltd The San Diego company is the biggest supplier of chips for mobile phones, but that market has stopped growing.

Qualcomm is looking to invest in companies that will use 5G in other areas, such as connecting industrial and agricultural equipment to the internet or enabling self-driving cars to communicate with infrastructure such as traffic lights and signs.

“5G will transform industries and should be viewed as a business strategy for all,” Steve Mollenkopf, Qualcomm’s chief executive, said in a release.  .... " 

AI Patent Portfolio Strategies of Amazon, Qualcomm, Tencent

Points to some marketing reports available for a fee.   At the link.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Patent Portfolio Strategies of Amazon & Qualcomm, and AI Investments of Tencent | 2019 Overview & Examination Report

October 18, 2019 05:21 ET | Source: Research and Markets in GlobalNewsWire

Dublin, Oct. 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Artificial Intelligence Patent Portfolio Strategies of Amazon and Qualcomm, and AI Investments of Tencent" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

In the IoT (Internet of Things) age, AI (Artificial Intelligence) is considered a major accelerator to smarten up electronics products, leading to the emergence of relevant applications such as smart cars, smart elevators, smart home appliances, smart pets, smart robots, and smartphones.

Following the widespread adoption of AI technology in emerging applications, Amazon which started as an online bookshop has been dedicated to M&A activities and AI patent portfolio developments over the years. Meanwhile, Qualcomm also has come with its own AI patent portfolio strategies following a noticeable decline in its revenue and patent royalty from the mobile phone market. Meanwhile, the Chinese AI industry is led by Tencent which has invested over US$10 billion into AI in the past two years. Tencent's AI ambitions over the next few years are defined by a strategy called 'Make AI Everywhere'.

This report provides an overview of AI patent portfolios, and examines the patent portfolio development strategies of Amazon and Qualcomm; looks into the AI investment plans of Tencent.

Scope

AI technology overview and includes trend analysis with breakdowns by country, sector, and field, key and correlative technology, and R&D readiness analysis
Patent portfolio analysis of several major AI assignees, including IBM, Microsoft, Google, Siemens, and Rockwell Automation
Detailed AI patent portfolio analysis of Amazon with patent mining techniques
Amazon's AI patent counts with a detailed breakdown by field, core technology, and intelligent application
Analysis of Amazon's investment projects and M&A activities
Detailed AI patent portfolio analysis of Qualcomm with patent mining techniques
Qualcomm's AI patent counts with a detailed breakdown by field, core technology, and intelligent application
Analysis of Amazon's investment projects and M&A activities  .... " 

Qualcomm Won't Have to Offer Patent Licenses Yet

Intriguing insight to antitrust vs patent licensing.  Note the embedded predictive aspect included here.  Predicting Qualcomm's income from patent licensing?

Qualcomm won't have to offer patent licenses to rivals, for now
A court has granted a partial reprieve from a US antitrust ruling.
 BY Jon Fingas, @jonfingas in Engadget

Qualcomm won't face the full consequences of the antitrust ruling, at least not right away. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has granted a request to temporarily halt requirements that it both grant patent licenses to rivals and stop demanding patent licenses before customers can buy chips. The stay will only last as long as Qualcomm's appeal of the antitrust case wends its way through the courts, but Qualcomm was convinced the original decision "will be overturned."

The company claimed the reprieve was vital to investing in technologies as part of a "critical time of transition to 5G."

Of course, there's a more pragmatic factor behind the request: the ruling would have dramatically altered Qualcomm's existing patent strategy. Reuters noted that Qualcomm would have to renegotiate all of its current chip and patent deals, and any new deals would need to honor stricter requirements. Those could require extensive work and likely hurt Qualcomm's substantial income from patent licenses.   .... " 

Readying for 5G and Advanced Gaming

Had read that 5G will widely increase phone gaming.

Qualcomm, Tencent agree to collaborate on gaming devices, 5G
By Stephen Nellis in Reuters

(Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) and Tencent Holdings Ltd (0700.HK) said on Monday they will cooperate on projects that could include making the Chinese company’s videogames play better on devices with Qualcomm chips, and create a 5G version of a Tencent-backed gaming phone. ... "

Dust Sized Brain Implants

Lots of uses for the very small

Wireless Network Brings Dust-Sized Brain Implants a Step Closer
Engineers have designed a scheme to let thousands of brain implants talk at up to 10 megabits per second  By Samuel K. Moore

Wireless brain implants called neurograins would form a network that can sense neural activity and send to an external computer for interpretation.

Brain-computer interfaces have managed some amazing feats: allowing paralyzed people to type words and move a robot using only their minds, to name two examples. Brown University neuroengineering professor Arto Nurmikko has had a hand in some of those developments, but even he says the technology is at only a rudimentary stage—the equivalent of the computer understanding the brain’s intention to bend a single finger.

“We’re trying to go from the bending-of-the-finger paradigm to tying shoe laces and even to the concert pianist level. That requires lots more spatial and temporal resolution from an electronic brain interface,” Nurmikko says. His team is hoping that kind of resolution will come along with the transition from a single, hard wired neural implant to a thousand or more speck-size neural implants that wirelessly communicate with computers outside the brain. At the IEEE Custom Integrated Circuits Conference, engineers from Brown University, Qualcomm, and the University of California San Diego presented the final part of a communications scheme for these implants. It allows bidirectional communication between the implants and an external device with an uplink rate of 10 megabits per second and a downlink rate of 1 Mb/s.  .... " 

Kellogg Pilots Virtual Reality Merchandising Solution

A surprising area to see this kind of implementation.     The 'lower shelf' optimal location for product goes with some very old beliefs in CPG.   But the guidelines for that were found to be mostly contextual long ago.  See my former colleague John Milby's work on Shelf virtualization, linked to in many posts below.  He combines true behavioral expertise to this kind of data.

Kellogg pilots virtual reality merchandising solution
By Rose Anthony in Retailwire  with futher expert comments.

Through a special arrangement, presented here for discussion is a summary of a current article from the bi-monthly e-zine, CPGmatters.

The Kellogg Co. last November partnered to pilot a solution that embeds eye-tracking technology in a mobile virtual reality (VR) headset to reinvent how brands and retailers gather critical consumer data at the store level.

Accenture and technology provider Qualcomm collaborated on the effort.

Conducted with the launch of Kellogg’s Pop-Tarts Bites product, the VR solution demonstrated that optimal placement for the new product was on lower shelves rather than on higher shelves, which conventional testing indicated was where consumers expected to find new products. The result was an 18 percent increase in brand sales during testing.

In a statement, Raffaella Camera, global head, innovation & market strategy, Accenture Extended Reality, said the mobile VR eye-tracking solution provided far deeper behavioral data than standard testing, which typically relies on online surveys and in-home user tests. She said, “It allows significant new insights to be captured while consumers shop by monitoring where and how they evaluate all products across an entire shelf or aisle. Ultimately, this enables product placement decisions to be made that can positively impact total brand sales, versus only single product sales.”

Among the potential benefits from the technology:.. '

Qualcomm Enhances Voice, Audio with AI

Intriguing move.    How will it change the Assistant space, with voice control.  An SoC is a System on a chip. See more about Qualcomm's example of an SoC: SnapDragon.  Will provide more AI power to the Voice and computer 'edge'?  It should.

Qualcomm Launches New, AI-Enabled Highly Integrated SoCs and Dedicated Smart Speaker Platform to Help Drive the Evolution of Smart Audio | from Qualcomm

QCS400 SoCs designed for “smarter” Speakers, Soundbars, Home Assistants and AV Receivers, with Integrated Compute, Mesh Wi-Fi, BLE Mesh, Voice-User Interface, Audio technology, and support for Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and Security Features

Qualcomm products mentioned within this press release are offered by Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries.

Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM), today launched the new Qualcomm® QCS400 SoC series. In these SoCs, Qualcomm Technologies brings its unique high-performance, low-power compute capabilities together with its unrivaled legacy in audio technology - to help deliver highly optimized, AI-enabled solutions that are designed for smarter audio and IoT applications.  ... " 

Qualcomm Snapdragon to Connect Automotive

Further looking at this, what are the kinds of connections that will be most useful, essential to the driver?  How will the home be connected?  What kinds of channels, and who will provide them?    What speeds of connection?    What meta data will the car need to perform the tasks we want?

Qualcomm draws a road map to the self-driving car of the future  By Jeremy Kaplin,  DigitalTrend

Ultra-high definition video. GPS that’s even more precise than GPS. Massively multiplayer online gaming. 5G connectivity. All the buzzwords that define modern technology? Qualcomm has a single chip for it — designed for your car.

On Tuesday, Qualcomm unveiled its second-generation Connected Car Reference Platform and the QCA6696 chip, which brings next-gen Wi-Fi 6 connectivity to automobiles and enables an enormous array of technologies that promise to bridge the gap between the ordinary cars of today and the self-driving entertainment centers of the future. And at the center of all of those technologies is the new Wi-Fi 6 standard and — you guessed it — 5G cellular connectivity.

“We believe our new Snapdragon Automotive Platforms will help launch the connected vehicle into the 5G era, offering multi-Gigabit low latency speeds, lane-level navigation accuracy, and an integrated and comprehensive C-V2X solution for increased road safety for cars and transportation infrastructure,” said Nakul Duggal, senior vice president of product management for Qualcomm. “With these new wireless solutions, we are excited to support our automaker, Tier-1 and roadside infrastructure customers as they develop faster, safer, and differentiated products for the next-generation of the connected car.” .... '