Qualcomm CEO Says AI Agents Will Replace Apps as Chipmaker Preps 40 New Devices

The era of navigating through grids of smartphone apps may be nearing its end. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon announced that the chipmaking giant is currently developing more than 40 new AI-powered device designs, signaling a massive industry pivot toward "agent-first" computing. Speaking to CNBC, Amon detailed a future where autonomous AI agents—rather than isolated applications—serve as the primary interface between humans and their digital lives.[1]

These new form factors extend far beyond the traditional glass rectangle. Qualcomm's current pipeline includes smart jewelry, camera-equipped earbuds, wearable pins, watches, and advanced smart glasses. The underlying philosophy is to create ambient technology that remains with the user constantly, observing their context and environment to proactively assist them without requiring manual input.[1][3]

"The phone is around the agent. The new classes of devices are going to be around the agent as well," Amon explained. He noted that while smartphones will not disappear entirely, their role will diminish as the "center of gravity" shifts toward the AI agent itself. Instead of users opening a banking app to find a transaction, an agent will instantly retrieve the details across services, effectively rendering the traditional app obsolete.[1]

This hardware evolution is already materializing through strategic industry partnerships. Earlier this month at its Build 2026 developer conference, Microsoft unveiled "Project Solara," a chip-to-cloud platform developed in close collaboration with Qualcomm and MediaTek. Project Solara bypasses the traditional Windows operating system in favor of an Android-based framework specifically optimized for low-power, agent-driven devices.[2]

Microsoft showcased two working prototypes under the Solara initiative: a desktop hub that responds to voice commands and a wearable badge powered by a Qualcomm chip. The badge, designed for frontline workers like nurses and retail staff, features a camera, microphone, and fingerprint scanner. It allows employees to scan patient QR codes, transcribe conversations, and log data entirely hands-free, demonstrating how agentic AI can remove the friction of traditional software interfaces.[2]

The transition to agent-first computing presents a profound engineering challenge. Because AI agents operate continuously in the background to maintain context and coordinate tasks, future devices will require entirely new architectures to manage battery life and thermal efficiency. Qualcomm is currently overhauling its entire product roadmap, with Amon stating that none of the devices on the market today are adequately prepared for the computational demands of the future.[1]

Smart glasses are emerging as the most promising candidate to challenge the smartphone's dominance. Amon expressed deep bullishness on the category, noting that smart glasses shipments are already in the tens of millions annually. Within a few years, he predicts that figure could scale to hundreds of millions, eventually rivaling the 1.26 billion smartphones shipped globally in 2025.[1]

For consumers, the appeal lies in frictionless convenience. An AI agent could seamlessly book a vacation, coordinate calendars, and manage smart home devices without the user ever touching a screen. Meanwhile, for enterprise environments, the technology promises to untether workers from their desks, allowing them to access critical data and communicate with their teams while remaining fully engaged with their physical surroundings.[2][3]

The shift is also prompting software giants and AI developers to enter the hardware space. As companies realize that controlling the physical endpoint is crucial to delivering a seamless agent experience, the industry is bracing for a wave of experimentation. From OpenAI's reported hardware ambitions to Microsoft's enterprise pilots with AccuWeather, Best Buy, and Target, the race to define the next generation of personal computing is officially underway.[1][2]