At the Snapdragon Summit 2026 in Maui, Counterpoint’s Ritesh Bendre sat down with Nitin Kumar, VP of Product Management for Compute at Qualcomm, to discuss how the PC is evolving from the AI PC era to the agentic AI era. Nitin explains why AI performance is about more than NPU TOPS, how the Snapdragon X2 is designed for always-on AI workloads, and how Qualcomm is working with Google to enable new experiences on Googlebook, including Magic Pointer and Rambler. The discussion also touches on on-device vs. cloud AI, the latest Microsoft Surface devices with Snapdragon X2 Plus, 5G connectivity, and Qualcomm’s move towards native Linux support on Snapdragon X2 PCs.

The Interview

Key Takeaways from the Discussion

Move from AI PCs to Agentic AI

• AI computing is moving from running chatbots and large language models (LLMs) locally towards agents that can proactively perform tasks and interact with other agents.
• This shift means always-on, efficient computing is increasingly important.
• Snapdragon X Series platforms are designed to support responsive, low-power AI workloads running in the background.
• Talking about NPU TOPS, Nitin stressed that AI performance depends on the entire system, including the CPU, GPU, NPU, memory bandwidth, silicon architecture, software and operating system, not just peak NPU performance.  

Working with Google, Enabling New AI Experiences on Googlebook

• Qualcomm has worked closely with Google to create Googlebook, a new category of laptops that combines Gemini Intelligence with the ability to connect Android devices to PCs.
• Features like Magic Pointer and Rambler are designed to work with information on screen and make voice typing easier, whereas Files AI makes managing files easier.
• Talking about on-device vs. cloud, Nitin stressed that AI workloads can run locally on the Snapdragon Hexagon NPU or in the cloud, depending on the needs of the app, balancing both performance and capability.

New Surface Lineup Powered by Snapdragon X2 Plus SoC

• Microsoft, extending its partnership with Qualcomm, announced the Surface Laptop 13-inch and Surface Pro 12-inch, powered by the Snapdragon X2 Plus SoC. 
• The Surface Pro 12-inch is offered in a 5G variant as well, making it an always-on, always-connected device for users who need connectivity while on the move.  
• The fanless design of the Surface Pro further highlights the platform’s focus on performance and power efficiency.

Linux Support, Opening New Possibilities for Developers

• One of the interesting announcements from the Snapdragon Summit was native Linux support, something that the developer community had been requesting for a long time.
• Debian support will arrive later in 2026, followed by Ubuntu in early 2027, thanks to a partnership with Canonical.
• Qualcomm is working closely with Canonical to optimize performance, battery life, drivers and access to NPU capabilities for Linux users.

Analyst Take

• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Summit announcements signal a broader shift in its compute strategy: the competition is no longer about NPU TOPS or raw performance, but about software integration, power efficiency and developer flexibility. 
• Support for Googlebook and Linux shows that the Snapdragon X platform is no longer just about Windows on Arm, but is now more OS-agnostic. 
• Googlebook brings together Gemini Intelligence and cross-device continuity with Android devices. Using the first-gen Snapdragon X Elite in the new Googlebook, instead of the newer X2, likely reflects the multi-year engineering cycle behind the platform rather than a compromise on capability.