The chip maker has announced the “world’s first” 10GB M.2 reference design to embed in devices.
Qualcomm describes it new range of 5G cards as plug and play. They are based on new Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G M.2 Reference Designs and intended for use in devices from PCs and laptops to customer premises equipment (CPE) such as routers, tablets, and gaming and extended reality equipment.
The company says the new reference designs use “the world’s most advanced and first 3GPP Release 16 5G modem-RF solutions supporting unmatched spectrum aggregation, global 5G sub-6 and extended-range mmWave, and high power-efficiency”.
Attempts to embed 4G connectivity in devices never really took off, despite initial high hopes for its ubiquity, it was generally too expensive to use and too difficult to embed.
Why does Qualcomm think it’s going to crack it with 5G?
Making is easy
Durga Malladi, SVP and GM, 4G/5G, Qualcomm Technologies, noted the global boom in data consumption and added, “To help meet this data demand and create exciting new products and experiences, our new 5G M.2 Reference Designs tackle many 5G design complexities upfront so that OEMs don’t have to.
“Qualcomm Technologies is committed to leading the acceleration and expansion of 5G beyond smartphones.
“We’ve built world-class engineering and customer service teams dedicated to 5G mobile broadband to equip customers with advanced reference designs.
We are empowering the ecosystem to bring next generation Release 16 5G products as early as late 2021 and helping create new business opportunities across computing, CPEs, XR, gaming, industrial IoT and beyond.”
The Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G M.2 Reference Designs are available to OEMs now.