Qualcomm CEO Bets Big on Robotics As Next Billion-Dollar Growth Engine

Qualcomm Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) is positioning robotics as its next major growth engine, with CEO Cristiano Amon signaling the business could scale meaningfully within two years.

Beyond Smartphones: Qualcomm Bets On Robotics

Amon said robotics will become a "larger opportunity" for the company within the next two years as it expands beyond smartphones.

In January, Qualcomm introduced a robotics processor under its Dragonwing brand, aiming to develop a chipset that can run across multiple robotics platforms—an approach similar to how its Snapdragon processors power a wide range of smartphones.

"I think robotics will start to get scale within the next two years," Amon told CNBC on Monday when asked when the segment could become meaningful for Qualcomm.

"I think it's going to become like a larger opportunity within two years," he added at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

AI Advances Drive Robotics Growth

Robotics spans industrial machines such as robotic arms as well as humanoid robots being developed by Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) and several Chinese companies.

Analysts have projected significant long-term growth for the sector. McKinsey estimates the general-purpose robotics market could reach $370 billion by 2040, while RBC Capital Markets forecasts a $9 trillion total addressable market for humanoid robots by 2050.

Robots rely on advanced processors and complex engineering, and recent advances in AI models—often described as physical AI—have made them more capable.

"People have said just robotics alone could be a trillion-dollar opportunity in terms of market size … the reality is, we see now, because of physical AI, robots have become a lot more useful," Amon said.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has also identified robotics as a major future growth area for his company.

QCOM Price Action

Qualcomm shares were down 2.15% at $138.00 during premarket trading on Tuesday.

Negative sentiment is driven by Qualcomm's warning that booming AI data center memory demand is diverting supply away from consumer electronics, intensifying an already tight memory market, and deepening shortages.

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