So far, AI companies have largely concentrated on software, from AI models accessible through the web to chatbots integrated into smartphones. However, they may soon venture into smartphone manufacturing themselves. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon has hinted that several AI companies are exploring smartphones capable of running models with 100 billion parameters directly on the device.
Speaking to Alex Heath at the Snapdragon Summit, Amon said several AI companies, whose names he did not disclose, had approached Qualcomm about developing on-device capabilities for their smartphones.
“I have to be careful not to disclose names, but some AI companies right now, some of the companies at the forefront of AI are telling Qualcomm,” he said.
Amon said these companies wanted smartphones to be capable of running 100-billion-parameter AI models locally by 2028. “By 2028, I need to make sure that I have the ability to run at least a hundred billion parameter model into a phone,” he said, adding that the model would need to operate almost continuously.
Parameters are the values an AI model learns during training. Generally, models with more parameters can handle more complex tasks, although their actual capabilities also depend on factors such as training and architecture.
While some of today's most advanced AI models are believed to contain trillions of parameters, a 100-billion-parameter model running directly on a smartphone could offer significantly greater capabilities than those available on most devices today. For comparison, Gemini Nano-2, which is used in select Android flagship smartphones, has 3.25 billion parameters.
Details about what smartphones developed by AI companies might look like remain scarce. However, reports have suggested that OpenAI could be developing a smartphone designed as an alternative to Apple's iPhone.
PHONES ARE HERE TO STAY
As AI models become increasingly popular, questions have emerged about the future of smartphones. Meta recently announced a pendant-like Muse Charm for its personal assistant, while OpenAI is reportedly working on its own hardware devices.
Despite these developments, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon believes smartphones will continue to play a central role in how people use technology.
“Phones are not going to go anywhere, and it is the largest development platform ever created by mankind,” he said.
Amon argued that mobile devices remain the most convenient way for people to access AI technology.
“Humans are not going to travel to a data center, ring the bell and say, give me some AI,” he said, explaining that people would continue to access these capabilities through mobile devices.
Rather than being replaced by newer AI hardware, smartphones could evolve into central hubs for AI agents capable of carrying out tasks on users' behalf, he added.
Amon's comments come as Qualcomm expands its efforts to bring more AI capabilities directly to smartphones. At the Snapdragon Summit, the company announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processors, both designed with a focus on AI features.
Qualcomm said the new sensing hubs can run smaller AI models containing up to 200 million parameters. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 can also run a 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts model locally, while both processors support complete voice-in, voice-out AI agents.
The company has also said it is working on more than 40 AI devices, signalling its broader push to make on-device AI a bigger part of the consumer technology market.
