Qualcomm made a thunderous leap back into the data center space with a “multigeneration” deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
The chip firm, which retreated from the space in 2018 to focus on its smartphone efforts, is working on a custom silicon project with the hyperscaler specifically targeted at “large-scale” AI data centers.
The pair also plan to develop optical connectivity solutions. Qualcomm’s SerDes and optical digital signal processing (DSP) technologies like those in its Dragonfly portfolio are set to form the basis of custom optics solutions for AI infrastructure. The pair’s announcement repeatedly references offerings targeted at AI inference, with their combined optics efforts looking at 1.6 Tb/s and “future-generation solutions.”
“As AI demand accelerates, data center infrastructure will require advances in both computing and connectivity to deliver greater performance with more efficiency,” Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon noted. “Qualcomm is pleased to work with AWS on customized silicon and connectivity solutions, bringing decades of leadership in advanced processing and power-efficient compute, to deliver breakthrough performance and enable the next generation of AI infrastructure.”
Call it a comeback #
After commanding a serious slice of the smartphone space, Qualcomm now wants to join the ever-growing cohort of silicon players grabbing a piece of the data center pie.
Amon, who used his Mobile World Congress (MWC) keynote to repeatedly talk up AI data center networks alongside 6G, told investors last summer that the market “represents a new growth opportunity for Qualcomm and is a logical extension of our diversification strategy.”
The company this summer formally unveiled new data center solutions, including updates to its Dragonfly C1000 central processing unit (CPU) and its AI300 "inference accelerator," with commercial availability of its AI infrastructure lines set for 2028.
According to Reuters, Qualcomm is granting AWS the right to acquire up to $4 billion of its shares over the next decade.
In addition to Qualcomm’s data center return, the deal also marks AWS’ ever-increasing obsession with custom silicon. In addition to its Trainium accelerators and Graviton processors, the hyperscaler has been tinkering with custom fiber optic transponders – with joint optics efforts with Qualcomm set to expand its custom connectivity capabilities.
“By working together on customized silicon and advanced connectivity, we’re delivering more performant, efficient, and cost-effective infrastructure for our customers,” Prasad Kalyanaraman, VP of infrastructure services at AWS, added.