Qualcomm's Snapdragon Sound Elite is a new AI chip for audio wearables

Qualcomm has launched the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 chip for the next generation of audio devices with AI features. This model will enable more powerful on-device AI capabilities for earbuds, headphones, audio glasses (perhaps similar to the new Ray-Ban Meta Audio) and camera-equipped earbuds like the AirPods Apple is reportedly developing. Qualcomm says the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 has twice the AI capabilities of its predecessor, the Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound Platform. "As AI becomes a core capability, users will increasingly expect more natural ways to interact with it," said Ziad Asghar, Qualcomm Senior Vice President and General Manager for XR, Wearables and Personal AI. "Those interactions won't always happen through a screen. They will happen through natural conversations, where users can simply speak to an AI assistant and receive help in real time."