Qualcomm recently introduced a series of new products designed to enhance Wi-Fi connectivity and artificial intelligence processing on devices. In addition, Qualcomm has acquired companies in order to better support the development and updating of Linux-based IoT and edge devices. Qualcomm's introduction of the QCC730 Wi-Fi solution and RB3
second-generation platform, further enhancing its portfolio to better support on-device AI applications, high-performance low-power processing and stable connectivity for the latest IoT products and applications. Qualcomm's latest QCC730 is a micro-power Wi-Fi system designed for IoT connectivity. The company claims that the QCC730 reduces power consumption by up to 88 percent compared to previous generations, a feature that makes it ideal for industrial, commercial and consumer applications that require battery power. To further minimize development, the SoC is paired with an open source integrated development environment (IDE) and software development kit (SDK), which are capable of supporting cloud-connected offload capabilities.
Additionally, Qualcomm mentioned that developers can utilize the QCC730 as a high-performance alternative to traditional Bluetooth IoT applications, enabling more flexible designs and the ability to connect directly to the cloud. Also included in Qualcomm's IoT connectivity portfolio are the QCC711, a triple-core, ultra-low-power Bluetooth low energy SoC, and the QCC740, an all-in-one solution that integrates multiple connectivity methods including Thread, Zigbee, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
The QCC730 chip empowers devices to support TCP/IP networking capabilities while maintaining a compact form factor and full wireless connectivity constraints, as well as the ability to continually stay connected to the cloud platform. This new product, along with others in our IoT connectivity portfolio, establishes Qualcomm technology at the center of the next generation of battery-powered smart homes, healthcare, gaming and other consumer electronics," said Qualcomm's group general manager for connectivity, broadband and networking. It demonstrates our strong commitment to leveraging decades of research and development to lead and create new consumer experiences."
Figure 1: The new Qualcomm RB3 Gen 2, featuring the Qualcomm QCS6490 processor.
Qualcomm's latest RB3 Gen 2 platform, a suite of hardware and software solutions designed for IoT and embedded applications, is powered by the Qualcomm QCS6490 processor. The company claims that this new platform incorporates high-performance processing power, a 10x increase in on-device AI processing power, support for four 8 MP+ camera sensors, computational vision capabilities, and integration of Wi-Fi 6E technology. The RB3 second generation is expected to be used in a wide range of products, including robots, drones, industrial handheld devices, AI edge design boxes, smart displays, and more. The RB3 second-generation platform is also supported by Qualcomm's recently announced Qualcomm AI Center, which includes a continuously updated library of pre-optimized AI models. These model libraries are designed to improve AI performance on devices, reduce memory usage, and enable operational power optimization. Developers can browse the range of AI models available for the RB3 second generation platform and integrate these optimized AI models into their applications. This will not only reduce time-to-market, but also unlock the benefits of on-device AI enablement, including improved responsiveness, enhanced reliability, privacy protection, personalization and cost savings.
Qualcomm also said that they will be launching an industrial-grade platform designed specifically for industrial design, focusing on addressing functional safety, environmental resilience, and mechanical handling requirements, which is expected to hit the market in June 2024, and will be equipped with high-performance CPUs, GPUs, and AI processing capabilities. In addition, the platform will offer an advanced security camera image signal processor, support for simultaneous multi-camera operation, and interfaces for industrial input and output needs.
