Qualcomm Declares 2026 the Year of AI Agents, Unveils Dragonfly Data-Center Brand

Qualcomm, long focused on chips for smartphones and edge computing, is expanding into AI data centers. CEO Cristiano Amon expects AI to evolve from conversational models that answer questions into agentic systems capable of independently planning and executing tasks. He believes the shift will drive demand for on-device computing, cloud inference and token consumption, reshaping competition in the semiconductor market.

At COMPUTEX 2026 in June, Amon declared 2026 the “year of AI agents” and unveiled the Dragonfly data-center brand. Qualcomm has signed a deal with Meta for the related new chips and has also acquired AI startup Modular; financial terms were not disclosed. More than 40 new AI devices are currently in development, while Qualcomm forecasts global token demand will reach 1.27 trillion by 2030.