AI Will Redefine Mobile Devices & Power 6G Networks, Says Qualcomm CEO

Speaking at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, Cristiano Amon said, "We look at our smartphone as an inseparable device. In the future, revolution is going to increase robotics in the industrial area that will lead to a change in the way we see our mobile device today."

He highlighted that the work is being done by the Qualcomm in this direction, and said the company is creating the hardware and software that will help enable this future across all the devices.

"We're one of the few companies working on chips from sub 2 milliwatts to a smart earbud that you're going to wear and also 2000 watts for chip on the data center," he said.

Talking about the Indian market, he said India has an incredible opportunity. "Look of what happened in mobile in India, and one of the largest data consumption per user in mobile devices in the world as in India, they hold internet as mobile. When you think about the potential all the things that I just discussed about how AI is going to change everything, creates new device, new experiences, new services. India is becoming a global manufacturing hub."

On the 6G networks, he said the telecom sector is approaching its "next big transformation," with 6G expected to move beyond incremental connectivity improvements to enable AI-native networks and large-scale sensing capabilities.

"We're heading to the next big transformation of the telecom sector. 6G is going to provide an evolution of connectivity, faster speed, lower latency, higher coverage, but that's not the story. That's just a piece of the story," he said.

He emphasised that artificial intelligence will be central to 6G networks. "The big part of 6G is AI. AI is now going to come to the telecom network. That becomes a large-scale AI network that is processing and gets trained on all of the signals that happen at the network, and provides new capabilities," Amon said.

Highlighting a key differentiator, he added, "One of the biggest features of 6G is that the network is the sensing network at scale." Amon noted that such advances would drive new devices, experiences and services.

"Everything creates new devices, new experiences, new services. That becomes a massive opportunity," he said. Connecting these developments to India's growth ambitions, Amon pointed to the country's expanding industrial base. "India is becoming a global manufacturing hub. With AI, you go from the very beginning with smart manufacturing automation," he stated.

He also underscored AI's potential in social sectors. "The ability to use AI to increase scale, reach and access to healthcare, and how you change education those are incredibly powerful learning tools to empower people with information," Amon said.

Referring to the rise of AI-powered assistants, he added, "You're going to have an ongoing learning experience. Think about those agents that are with you all the time, answering questions, telling you how to do things."

Further, on emerging form factors, Amon said, "When you think of context, for example new devices such as smart glasses, it can fundamentally change industries like agriculture." Describing the broader outlook, he said, "That's just a few examples of the potential of connecting this technology with everything. It's an incredible and exciting future enabled by AI."

Amon reiterated the importance of inclusivity. "It's about meeting the ambition of democratizing this technology for everyone and having an important role in increasing global welfare," he said.

"As a company focused on enabling partners and industries to innovate, Qualcomm has never believed it is the job of one company to be responsible for everything. Innovation is about enabling many industries and partners. We're incredibly excited to play a very small part in this mission," he added.

- ANI