Brand: Qualcomm
Country of Origin: United States 🇺🇸
Founded: 1985
Industry: Semiconductors, Wireless Technology, AI & Computing
Company: Qualcomm Incorporated
Headquarters: San Diego, California, United States
President & CEO: Cristiano Amon
Official Website: Qualcomm
Featured By: ASIA Best Brands — Global Brands
About Qualcomm
Qualcomm is a global technology company specialising in wireless connectivity, high-performance computing and artificial intelligence.
Founded in 1985, the company develops technologies used across smartphones, PCs, vehicles, industrial equipment and connected devices. Its best-known product family, Snapdragon, combines computing, AI, graphics and connectivity for consumer devices.
From Wireless Pioneer to Computing Platform
Qualcomm was founded in 1985 by seven former Linkabit colleagues, including Irwin Jacobs.
Its early work centred on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), a wireless technology that later played an important role in the development of 3G mobile networks. Qualcomm subsequently contributed technologies across 4G LTE and 5G.
Over four decades, the company has expanded from wireless communications into computing, automotive technology, AI and the Internet of Things.
Snapdragon and the Mobile Era
Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. Image Source: Geeknetic.
Snapdragon has become Qualcomm’s most recognisable technology brand.
Its platforms combine CPUs, GPUs, neural processing, imaging, audio and connectivity technologies for smartphones and other devices.
At Snapdragon Summit 2026, Qualcomm introduced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, designed around on-device and agentic AI. Devices using the new platforms are expected from brands including HONOR, iQOO, Motorola, OnePlus, OPPO, REDMI, RedMagic, vivo and Xiaomi.
Bringing AI Directly to Devices
Artificial intelligence is becoming central to Qualcomm’s strategy.
Rather than relying entirely on cloud servers, Qualcomm develops processors capable of running AI workloads directly on smartphones, PCs and connected devices.
Its Snapdragon X Series extends this strategy into personal computers, combining Qualcomm Oryon CPUs with dedicated AI processing. In 2026, Qualcomm demonstrated agentic-AI applications running locally on Snapdragon-powered PCs.
On-device processing can improve responsiveness, privacy and efficiency by reducing the need to continuously send information to the cloud.
Expanding Into Automotive
Qualcomm Unveils Groundbreaking Automotive Innovations At CES 2024. Image Source: Business Today.
Automotive technology has become one of Qualcomm’s fastest-growing businesses.
Through Snapdragon Digital Chassis, Qualcomm provides technologies for digital cockpits, connectivity, driver assistance and software-defined vehicles.
In 2026, Qualcomm reported an automotive design-win pipeline of approximately US$65 billion. It also expanded collaborations with automakers including BMW, which selected Qualcomm as a lead compute-silicon provider for future digital cockpit and automated-driving systems.
Qualcomm’s automotive revenue has recorded more than 20 consecutive quarters of double-digit year-over-year growth.
From Edge AI to Data Centres
Qualcomm is also expanding beyond mobile devices into industrial AI and data-centre computing.
Its Dragonwing portfolio targets industrial equipment, robotics, networking and intelligent edge devices, bringing AI processing closer to where data is generated.
In June 2026, Qualcomm unveiled the Dragonfly data-centre portfolio, including CPUs and AI inference accelerators designed around energy-efficient computing.
The company now targets more than US$15 billion in data-centre revenue by fiscal 2029, although this remains a forward-looking company target rather than current revenue.
Asia at the Centre of Qualcomm’s Ecosystem
Asia is deeply connected to Qualcomm’s technology ecosystem.
The company operates offices across major Asian technology markets including China, India, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam, among others. Qualcomm’s global office directory currently lists more than 200 locations worldwide.
India is particularly important to Qualcomm’s engineering operations. The company describes its Indian operations as hosting one of its largest intellectual-property design centres, with teams working across modem, multimedia, embedded and networking technologies.
Qualcomm also operates regional engineering labs in India, Taiwan and Vietnam, supporting startups and technology companies with hardware, software tools and engineering expertise.
Its partnerships with Asian smartphone and automotive manufacturers further reinforce the region’s importance to the Snapdragon ecosystem.
Two Core Businesses
Qualcomm Incorporated operates primarily through two major reportable businesses.
Qualcomm CDMA Technologies (QCT) develops semiconductor products and system software used across smartphones, automotive systems and IoT devices.
Qualcomm Technology Licensing (QTL) licenses portions of Qualcomm’s intellectual-property portfolio, including patents related to wireless technologies.
In fiscal 2025, QCT generated approximately US$38.4 billion in revenue, while QTL generated approximately US$5.6 billion.
Global Scale and Business Growth
For the fiscal year ended September 28, 2025, Qualcomm reported record GAAP revenue of approximately US$44.3 billion.
Combined QCT Automotive and IoT revenue grew 27% year over year, reflecting Qualcomm’s continuing diversification beyond smartphones.
For its third fiscal quarter ended June 28, 2026, Qualcomm recorded approximately US$9.9 billion in revenue, while combined Automotive and IoT revenue increased 28% year over year.
These figures show a business increasingly spread across mobile, automotive, connected devices and AI computing.
Why Qualcomm Is Featured on ASIA Best Brands
Qualcomm demonstrates how foundational technologies can shape products used by billions of people without always being visible to the end user.
From CDMA and 5G to Snapdragon, AI PCs, intelligent vehicles and edge computing, Qualcomm has continually expanded its role across major technology platforms.
Its close relationships with manufacturers and engineering ecosystems throughout China, India, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia also make Asia fundamental to its global technology network.
By combining connectivity, computing, artificial intelligence and semiconductor innovation, Qualcomm remains one of the world’s most influential technology brands featured on ASIA Best Brands.
Official Website:
Qualcomm Official Website
Category: Semiconductors | Artificial Intelligence | Wireless Technology | Computing
Tags: Qualcomm, Snapdragon, Semiconductors, Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Automotive Technology, Edge AI, Wireless Technology, Asia Pacific, ASIA Best Brands
Sources
1. Qualcomm — Company Overview & History
Official information covering Qualcomm’s founding, CDMA, 3G, 4G, 5G and current technology portfolio.
About Qualcomm
2. Qualcomm — FY2025 Results
Official fiscal 2025 financial information covering revenue and business growth.
Qualcomm FY2025 Results
3. Qualcomm — Q3 Fiscal 2026 Results
Latest available quarterly results covering revenue and Automotive and IoT growth.
Qualcomm Q3 FY2026 Results
4. Qualcomm — Investor Day 2026
Official information covering Qualcomm’s diversification, automotive, AI and data-centre strategy.
Qualcomm Investor Day 2026
5. Qualcomm — Snapdragon Summit 2026
Official information covering Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
Snapdragon Summit 2026
6. Qualcomm — India Operations
Official information covering Qualcomm’s engineering and IP-design activities in India.
Qualcomm India
7. Qualcomm — Regional Engineering Ecosystem
Official information covering Qualcomm engineering labs in India, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Qualcomm Regional Ecosystem
8. Qualcomm — Global Locations
Official information covering Qualcomm offices across Asia and other global markets.
Qualcomm Global Offices