SAN FRANCISCO, 24 September 2025 – Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM) has announced a new suite of chips for PCs and smartphones, including a business-focused PC processor that analysts say could be a first-of-its-kind in the market.
The new chip, Snapdragon X2 Elite, is expected to ship next year and will feature a security innovation called Guardian, specifically aimed at corporate users of desktops and laptops.
Guardian: Always-On Corporate Security
Kedar Kondap, senior vice president of gaming and compute at Qualcomm, said during a keynote presentation that Guardian will allow corporate IT departments to securely connect to devices to install updates or provide support — even if the machine is turned off.
While Intel has offered similar fleet management tools for more than a decade, Qualcomm plans to extend the capability by pairing Guardian with its modem chips, enabling remote management over 5G and mobile networks.
This means businesses will be able to monitor and maintain their machines from virtually any location with cell coverage, potentially transforming enterprise PC management.
“Nobody else can offer something like that,” said Ben Bajarin, chief executive of technology consultancy Creative Strategies. “I can actually see that being attractive for a portion of the workforce and something that will get stronger interest in Qualcomm for enterprise fleets.”
Expanding Beyond Smartphones
Qualcomm, headquartered in San Diego, is one of the world’s leading suppliers of mobile chips that power wireless connectivity in smartphones. In recent years, however, the company has been expanding into the PC market, competing directly with Apple’s energy-efficient laptop chips and working to deliver processors optimized for Windows-powered devices.
The Snapdragon X2 Elite signals Qualcomm’s continued push into the enterprise computing space, combining power efficiency, connectivity, and always-on security features to appeal to corporate buyers.
