Qualcomm Plugs AI Processor into 5G Modem for the First Time
Qualcomm rolled out what it said was the first 5G modem with an artificial-intelligence (AI) block inside.
The new Snapdragon X70 baseband modem can deliver download speeds of up to 10 Gb/s and upload data to base stations at a maximum rate of 3.5 Gb/s—the same as its predecessor unveiled last year, the X65. But the X70 also incorporates a wide range of new technologies such as AI-based antenna tuning and beamforming to improve coverage and link robustness, helping it to hit higher average speeds.
The San Diego, California-based company announced the new X70 at the MWC conference last month.
The X70 modem, based on 4-nm process technology, supports all major bands and combinations in 5G networks, including sub-6-GHz and millimeter-wave frequencies, ranging from 600 MHz up to 41 GHz. Millimeter waves offer faster data rates than sub-6-GHz bands, but can only travel relatively short distances before being blocked or scrambled by walls and other obstacles. Wireless carriers use sub-6-GHz bands when a device is further away from the base station that it connects to.
Onboard AI
The X70 leverages the AI processor to optimize the antennas of the smartphone or other device in which it is housed. Its AI-based adaptive antenna tuning accelerates computations used in 5G up to 30%, resulting in higher average speeds and coverage. The X70 can also take context into account, dynamically selecting the best transmit and receive paths based on signal conditions in a device's vicinity.
One of the core innovations in 5G is beamforming. The technology focuses radio-frequency (RF) signals into beams, instead of spraying them in a wide cone like a floodlight, and it determines the best route for the signals to take to a smartphone or other devices, shaping them around obstacles that can scramble or block them. Beamforming helps speed up connections and reduce interference from nearby devices.
The AI module at the heart of the Snapdragon X70 helps to calculate the best route for millimeter waves, which are more vulnerable to being blocked by walls and other objects—even people—improving coverage.
The modem can also be paired with Qualcomm's QET7100 wideband envelope tracker, which offers up to 30% better efficiency compared to rivals' power tracking technology, prolonging a device's battery life.
Carrier Aggregation
Carrier aggregation (CA) is another key technology supported by the X70 modem. The technology opens the door for a smartphone or other device to relay data over several RF bands at the same time. That increases the total amount of data the device can send and receive, which in turn results in faster data transfers. Qualcomm said the X70 supports CA for both downloads and uploads.
In addition, the X70 modem supports frequency-division-duplex (FDD) and time-division-duplex (TDD) bands on 5G standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) networks. It also supports 4x downlink and 2x uplink CA to connect via sub-6-GHz and millimeter waves and TDD and FDD bands at the same time. This results in faster data-transmission rates and more robust connections to 5G networks, said Qualcomm.
The modem can aggregate up to eight millimeter-wave bands for a total of 800 MHz of bandwidth, and it offers up to 300 MHz of bandwidth in the sub-6-GHz range by aggregating up to four bands at the same time.
The X70, which also has a standalone millimeter-wave mode to support gateways and fixed wireless networking gear, includes global 5G multi-SIM capability with Dual-SIM Dual-Active (DSDA) support.
Another key feature of the X70 is its "upgradeable architecture," which Qualcomm said allows it to be updated as the 5G standard evolves.
The company plans to sample the X70 modem starting next quarter. The first devices powered by the X70 are slated to launch by the end of 2022.
Plug-in 5G for PCs
Qualcomm is also trying to bring 5G connectivity to PCs. The company rolled out a pair of M.2 modules, co-developed with Foxconn, based on its Snapdragon X65 and X62 5G modems and RF ICs. These new modules bring Qualcomm's 5G technology to laptops and desktops, enabling easy 5G adoption for PCs, the company said. The X65 and X62 have maximum data rates of up to 10 Gb/s, the same as the X70.
The modules are sampling and will be broadly available in the second half of 2022.
