According to reports from Business Standard, Qualcomm is positioning itself for significant growth in India through multiple emerging technology segments. The company sees smart glasses, AI inference, edge data centres, and satellite connectivity as key opportunities for expansion in the Indian market. Rajen Vagadia, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Qualcomm's Mobile, Computing and Infrastructure Division, emphasized that India is emerging as a critical market for affordable next-generation technology solutions.
As reported by Business Standard, Qualcomm is addressing affordability concerns in the Indian market through strategic chip launches. The company's 4-series and 6-series chips were launched globally in India, specifically designed for this market's price sensitivity. Vagadia noted that while memory solutions and pricing create market complications, India's rapid technology adoption history suggests minimal lag between global and local AI implementation. He highlighted that AI can run in hybrid mode, either on devices or in the Cloud, which he views as an equalizer for markets like India.
According to Business Standard, Qualcomm is advancing smart glasses technology with compact, lightweight designs. The company is developing an AR Light chip for very compact form factors that fit into glass temples. Vagadia acknowledged that while smart glasses adoption follows the typical technology adoption curve, India's scale with 700 million internet-connected users creates natural market focus. He cited Lenskart's launch as an example of India's movement toward mass adoption, with 19,000 engineers in India designing solutions for global markets.
As reported by Business Standard, Qualcomm sees significant opportunities in India's data centre landscape. India produces 20% of global data but stores only 3%, creating demand for more data centres. The company expects inference workloads to increase from 20-30% to 70-80% of total data centre workloads, requiring different design approaches focused on power consumption and efficiency. Vagadia noted that inference requires high performance and low power consumption, capabilities deeply rooted in Qualcomm's mobile computing expertise that can be extended to data centres.
According to Business Standard, Qualcomm is expanding partnerships in satellite technology through collaborations with indigenous players. The company is working closely with Tejas Networks, an indigenous 5G player building networks using Qualcomm's RAN solutions. Vagadia indicated that D2D connectivity will be introduced in the next release towards the end of 2027, though timelines need confirmation. He noted that while satellite connectivity may be needed for countries with extensive island networks, India's excellent network coverage reduces immediate satellite dependency.
