Mucahithan Avcioglu
25 June 2026•Update: 25 June 2026
Qualcomm announced Wednesday a new data center central processing unit, Dragonfly C1000, marking a deeper push into the fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure market.
The US chipmaker said Meta will be the first major customer for the chip, which is expected to enter production in 2028.
Qualcomm said Dragonfly C1000 was designed for agentic AI workloads, with a focus on delivering high computing performance while limiting power consumption, a key constraint for large-scale data center operators.
The announcement was made during Qualcomm’s investor presentation, where the company outlined a broader roadmap for the data center market, including AI chips and products designed to connect multiple chips.
CEO Cristiano Amon said the company had built a broader portfolio for its next phase in data centers after gathering assets and expanding its capabilities.
The move reflects Qualcomm’s effort to diversify beyond its core smartphone chip business, which accounted for around two-thirds of its product revenue in the quarter that ended in March.
The company is also targeting growth in cars, robotics and AI infrastructure as smartphone shipments remain below their 2017 peak.
Qualcomm said its experience in designing power-efficient chips for smartphones and computers would help it serve hyperscale data center customers, where energy use has become a critical issue.
The company also said it had secured two custom silicon chip deals with hyperscalers.
Amon rejected concerns that Qualcomm was entering the data center market too late, saying scale, execution, engineering capabilities, operations and supply chain strength were central to competing in the sector.
