{"slug": "qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal", "title": "Qualcomm returns to data center market with multigeneration AWS AI deal", "summary": "Qualcomm announced a multigeneration deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop custom silicon and optical connectivity solutions for large-scale AI data centers, marking its return to the data center market after exiting in 2018. The companies will target AI inference workloads, with optics solutions reaching 1.6 Tb/s, and AWS will have the right to acquire up to $4 billion of Qualcomm shares over the next decade. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said the collaboration will deliver breakthrough performance for next-generation AI infrastructure.", "body_md": "Qualcomm made a thunderous leap back into the data center space with a “multigeneration” deal with Amazon Web Services (AWS).\n\nThe chip firm, which [retreated from the space in 2018](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/qualcomm-says-it-loves-data-centers-plans-to-cut-half-of-data-center-division/) to focus on its smartphone efforts, is working on a custom silicon project with the hyperscaler specifically targeted at “large-scale” AI data centers.\n\nThe pair also plan to develop optical connectivity solutions. Qualcomm’s SerDes and optical digital signal processing (DSP) technologies like those in its [Dragonfly portfolio](https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2026/06/qualcomm-dragonfly-ai-data-center-brand) 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.”\n\n“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.”\n\n## Call it a comeback\n\nAfter 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.\n\nAmon, who used his [Mobile World Congress (MWC) keynote](https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/qualcomms-amon-says-6g-will-power-ai-data-center-network-to-buy-things-with-your-face/) to repeatedly talk up AI data center networks alongside 6G, told investors [last summer](https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/qualcomm-to-return-to-data-center-market-with-ai-cpus/) that the market “represents a new growth opportunity for Qualcomm and is a logical extension of our diversification strategy.”\n\nThe company this summer formally unveiled new [data center solutions](https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2026/06/qualcomm-unveils-comprehensive-data-center-roadmap-for-the-agent), including updates to its [Dragonfly C1000](https://www.qualcomm.com/data-center/products/qualcomm-dragonfly-c1000) central processing unit (CPU) and its [AI300](https://www.qualcomm.com/data-center/products/qualcomm-dragonfly-ai300) \"inference accelerator,\" with commercial availability of its AI infrastructure lines set for 2028.\n\nAccording to [*Reuters*](https://www.reuters.com/technology/qualcomm-amazon-develop-custom-chips-ai-data-centers-2026-09-08/), Qualcomm is granting AWS the right to acquire up to $4 billion of its shares over the next decade.\n\nIn addition to Qualcomm’s data center return, the deal also marks AWS’ ever-increasing obsession with custom silicon. In addition to its [Trainium](https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/aws-makes-trainium3-ultraservers-generally-available/) accelerators and [Graviton](https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/aws-expands-compute-optimized-graviton5-instances-with-c9g-and-c9gd-vms/) processors, the hyperscaler has been tinkering with [custom fiber optic transponders](https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/aws-expands-custom-silicon-push-with-homegrown-fiber-optic-transponders/) – with joint optics efforts with Qualcomm set to expand its custom connectivity capabilities.\n\n“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.", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal", "canonical_source": "https://www.sdxcentral.com/news/qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal/", "published_at": "2026-09-08 16:02:00+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-09-08 16:26:49.070545+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["ai-infrastructure", "ai-chips", "ai-products"], "entities": ["Qualcomm", "Amazon Web Services", "AWS", "Cristiano Amon", "Prasad Kalyanaraman", "Dragonfly C1000", "AI300", "Reuters"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/qualcomm-returns-to-data-center-market-with-multigeneration-aws-ai-deal.jsonld"}}