Qualcomm is developing more than 40 artificial intelligence-powered device designs spanning multiple wearable categories, according to CEO Cristiano Amon, who outlined the company's latest efforts to expand beyond smartphones as technology firms push deeper into connected consumer hardware.
The new designs include jewelry, watches, wearable pins and earbuds equipped with cameras, Amon said during an interview on CNBC's "The Tech Download" podcast. The devices are intended to remain with users throughout the day and provide access to software agents capable of handling tasks across different services and applications.
"We have over 40 designs of those devices," Amon said during the interview, adding that the range of form factors under development is broad, according to CNBC.
Amon described agents as software capable of carrying out more complex actions than traditional digital assistants. He cited a banking example in which an agent retrieves transaction details directly rather than requiring a user to open an app and manually search for information. While applications will continue to exist, Amon said their role is changing and that "agents are going to be the new app," according to CNBC.
Major technology companies continue investing heavily in software agents and wearable computing. Earlier this month, Apple unveiled new updates to Siri and its broader software ecosystem during its Worldwide Developers Conference, with the company emphasizing contextual assistance and task completion features across devices, according to The Verge.
Amon said Qualcomm's wearable strategy centers on devices that can understand a user's surroundings and provide contextual information. He added that the company is redesigning its chip roadmap to support smaller devices that require greater power efficiency.
"Our entire roadmap is in a process of upgrade right now," Amon said, according to CNBC, adding that existing hardware designs were not built for the next generation of connected devices.
The market for smart glasses has attracted increasing attention from large technology companies. Meta has expanded its smart glasses lineup through its partnership with EssilorLuxottica, and discussions have taken place about significantly increasing production capacity following strong demand for Ray-Ban smart glasses, according to Reuters.
The category has also drawn attention from defense and security sectors. This week, WIRED reported that Meta worked with facial-recognition software company Rank One Computing to test technology for smart glasses, highlighting growing interest in wearable devices capable of processing real-world visual information.
Amon's remarks also reflect a broader industry discussion about the role of software agents in consumer technology. During Mobile World Congress earlier this year, he described 2026 as "the year of agents" and said the technology would change how consumers interact with phones, vehicles, computers and wearable devices, according to Bloomberg.
The Qualcomm chief also pointed to growing interest from artificial intelligence companies entering the hardware market. Last year, OpenAI acquired io, the hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, in a move aimed at developing consumer devices.
According to Amon, access to data generated by connected devices is one reason software companies are pursuing hardware projects. He said wearable products are expected to generate significantly larger volumes of data than those currently used to train many existing AI systems.
Qualcomm remains a major supplier of chips and wireless technology used in smartphones, including devices from Apple and Samsung, while expanding into automotive systems, personal computers, connected devices and data-center products.
