Qualcomm Technologies announced on Oct. 27 that it will launch its AI200 and AI250 inference chips and integrated rack-scale systems in the next two years, marking its entry into the AI data center hardware market currently dominated by Nvidia.
The announcement is another strategic pivot for the San Diego-based company, which has predominantly focused on the wireless communications and computing industries and is widely known for its high-performance Snapdragon integrated processors for laptops and tablets. Qualcomm will begin selling its AI200 chips next year, with AI 250 chips hitting the market in 2027, the company said.
Both chips are available in direct-to-chip rack cooling systems, which use significantly less water than other cooling methods deployed in large hyperscale data centers. Qualcomm also noted that it plans to introduce additional AI products to meet the country’s burgeoning data center market….