Qualcomm developing 40+ AI wearables as agents reshape devices

Qualcomm is designing more than 40 new AI-powered devices as the chip giant prepares for a fundamental shift in how consumers interact with technology, CEO Cristiano Amon told CNBC.

In an interview on CNBC's "The Tech Download" podcast, Amon outlined a vision where AI agents—not apps—become the primary interface between users and their devices. This transformation is driving Qualcomm to develop chips for an unprecedented range of wearable form factors, from jewelry and camera-equipped earbuds to pins and watches.

"Right now, we have over 40 designs of those devices, and I'm telling you, the types of form factors are very, very broad," Amon said. The common thread: devices that users wear constantly, that can observe their environment, and that provide access to AI agents through voice interaction.

Why it matters

Qualcomm's aggressive push into AI wearables signals a major platform shift that could reshape the consumer electronics landscape. If AI agents become the primary interface—handling complex tasks like booking travel or retrieving banking details without manual app navigation—the smartphone's role as the center of digital life diminishes. This creates both opportunity for new hardware entrants and competitive pressure on established players like Apple and Samsung to rethink their device strategies.

From apps to agents

Amon described AI agents as the evolution of digital assistants like Siri or Google Gemini, capable of executing longer, more complex tasks across multiple apps and services. He gave the example of an agent instantly retrieving banking transaction details without requiring users to open an app and manually search.

"Apps are not dead, but apps are going to change," Amon said. "Those agents are going to be the new app."

This shift repositions the smartphone around the agent rather than making the agent a feature of the phone. "The phone is around the agent. The new classes of devices ... are going to be around the agent as well," he explained, though he noted phones won't disappear entirely.

Smart glasses at smartphone scale

Amon expressed particular optimism about smart glasses, which he believes could reach smartphone-level adoption. Smart glasses shipments currently measure in the "multiple tens of millions" annually, but Amon projects this could reach "hundreds of millions" within a couple of years—approaching the 1.26 billion smartphones shipped in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research.

Companies including Meta and Samsung are already developing camera-equipped smart glasses, a category Qualcomm is positioning to support with specialized chips.

New hardware entrants

The agent-centric device paradigm is attracting non-traditional hardware companies. Amon pointed to OpenAI's acquisition of io, the hardware startup founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, as evidence that AI companies recognize they must control the endpoints where agents operate.

Data collection provides another motivation. These wearable devices will generate data "exponentially larger" than current AI training datasets, Amon said, giving hardware makers valuable information to train future models and create personalized AI experiences.

To power smaller, more efficient devices, Qualcomm is overhauling its entire chip roadmap. "Our entire roadmap is in a process of upgrade right now," Amon said. "I believe none of the devices we have today are prepared for the future."

The details were first reported by CNBC.