Qualcomm chief: AI agents will become the new apps, 40 devices on the way

Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon predicts the end of the era of familiar mobile applications: their place will be taken by AI-agents that will independently perform user tasks. The company is preparing 40 new devices with an emphasis on local artificial intelligence.

Agents — the new applications

Speaking on the CNBC podcast The Tech Download, Amon formulated a provocative thesis about the near future of technology. According to him, application icons on the smartphone home screen represent an outdated paradigm of interaction with the digital world. Users will no longer manually open dozens of disparate services, each time re-explaining the context. "Agents will become the new applications," declared the Qualcomm CEO.

An important caveat: applications won't disappear. Amon emphasized that they are "not dead" — however, their role will change. From independent products with their own UI, they will transform into "building blocks" — tools that will be managed by an AI-agent in the background.

The user sets a task in natural language; the agent itself decides which services to use and in what order. This fundamentally changes the understanding of what a "software product" is. Currently, developers build the interface at the center of the user experience.

In the agent future, the quality of the API and the ability of the tool to be called and integrated into someone else's agent context will become more important — the user UI becomes not the main, but an auxiliary element.

Smartphone loses its central role

Amon's second thesis is even more radical. The telephone, according to him, will cease to be the main digital device in a person's life. The smartphone-centric model will be replaced by a distributed ecosystem: AI features will be present in smartwatches, AR glasses, cars, laptops, smart homes — everywhere there's a chip.

For Qualcomm, this forecast naturally aligns with the diversification strategy the company has been pursuing for the past several years. Snapdragon chips already work in Windows laptops (Copilot+ PC lineup), automotive systems, and IoT devices. The mobile segment remains the largest, but is no longer the only one.

Separately, Qualcomm emphasizes local AI processing: the model runs directly on the device, without constant connection to the cloud. This provides three immediate advantages — high response speed, complete data privacy, and the ability to work without internet. Apple and Google are moving in the same direction, but Qualcomm competes at the hardware level, not the software platform.

Forty new devices

In the coming months, Qualcomm and its partners will announce 40 new devices based on the company's chips. They will appear at leading manufacturers — from major brands to niche players. Large-scale launch covers several categories:

• Copilot+ PC laptops on Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus
• Next-generation smartphones with expanded on-device AI capabilities
• Wearable electronics and AR/VR headsets
• Automotive infotainment systems
• Smart speakers and IoT devices

Such coverage is a strategic statement. Qualcomm positions itself as a supplier of "AI brains" for the entire ecosystem, not just the mobile market. If agents really will work on every device, the chip that runs them becomes a key competitive asset — and this is where Qualcomm intends to take the leading position.

"Agents are the new applications," —

Cristiano Amon, CEO Qualcomm, CNBC The Tech Download podcast

What this means

Amon's forecast is a signal for a change in strategy for all market participants. Developers will have to think not only about the interface, but also about how their product integrates into the agent ecosystem and becomes a callable tool. Superservices that concentrated dozens of functions on themselves will come under pressure: the agent will be able to choose the best tool for each specific task. Qualcomm, in turn, is betting on becoming the infrastructure layer of this future — at the hardware level, regardless of which platform or agent wins.