Episode of the micro-network reported on August 1 (text / Zhang Yiqun) With the rapid development of the mobile communications industry, Qualcomm has gradually grown into the king of the chip field in the past 30 years. Despite the current challenges from business models, market supervision, competitors and so on. However, as a company dedicated to invention and creation, the constant pursuit of innovation and persistent investment is still the cornerstone of Qualcomm's growth.
Nowadays, this chip giant is radiating the advantages accumulated by the mobile communication industry to a wider field such as the Internet of Things, PC, and unmanned driving, and realizes the re-evolution through the opportunities of technology and industrial transformation.
Blueprint for the Internet of Things
The acquisition of NXP is seen as an important piece of the puzzle for building the future Qualcomm empire. Although it is somewhat regrettable to fail to do so, in Qualcomm's view, this does not affect its success in the future.
Relying on technical advantages and clear strategic planning, if the way of 'borrowing' through mergers and acquisitions does not work, then relying on 'self-reliance' can also achieve the goal. Moreover, even the CEO of NXP said that Qualcomm and NXP still exist in the future. Cooperation may be. Therefore, Qualcomm's future in the Internet of Things and automotive business is not pessimistic because of the obstruction of mergers and acquisitions.
Qualcomm hopes to improve and change the ride experience through its own leading mobile communication technology. At present, the automotive business has formed a large-scale sector. The latest third-quarter earnings report shows that as of July 2018, Qualcomm's automotive business A $5 billion order has been received and the number is increasing.
Another aspect of the acquisition of NXP is its emphasis on the accumulation of the Internet of Things. In the field of Internet of Things, Qualcomm also has a clear roadmap. If Qualcomm develops the first 30 years, it has completed the connection of people through mobile communication technology. Goals. So for the future of the Internet of Things, Qualcomm's blueprint for itself is digital mobile communications, redefining computing, changing industry and a series of great visions.
The Internet of Things is extremely diverse, from consumer electronics such as wearable devices, smart homes, home control and automation, networked cameras, voice and music, drones to street lighting, energy meters, robotics and other industrial Internet of Things. In FY2017, Qualcomm's IoT business revenue exceeded $1 billion, and IoT chips shipped more than 1 million tablets per day.
According to Ignacio Contreras, Qualcomm Automotive and IoT Marketing Director, Qualcomm mainly provides reference designs and platforms, as well as chip, software, telematics support, etc., to help customers quickly bring products to market. Currently, Qualcomm has provided more than 30 consumer IoT platforms to customers, including networked cameras, wearable devices, and intelligent audio.
Compared with the consumer Internet of Things, where technology is iterating faster, the industrial Internet of Things has a longer design cycle, but the business is growing very fast. According to Art Miller, senior director of Qualcomm Business Development, the industrial Internet of Things business has doubled in the past four years. The speed is growing.
XR and Mobile PC: The Star of Tomorrow
In addition to the Internet of Things and automotive business, Qualcomm's emerging business also includes mobile computing, including XR and PC.
XR is the collective name for AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality). In Qualcomm's view, XR will be the star of tomorrow, and may even replace smartphones and PCs in the future.
In fact, XR will be used in many vertical fields, including entertainment and games. There are still many needs in the fields of business, industry, education, military, etc., which will make the future XR product demand very strong.
Currently, the development of VR and AR is based on two different products - AR uses more lightweight glasses, while VR uses more enclosed helmets, but over time, the two will slowly merge into one device. That is the XR device.
Hugo Swart, head of Qualcomm's Virtual and Augmented Reality business, believes that XR evolution is a long-term process that can be completed in a matter of years and may require years or several update iterations.
According to Hugo Swart, the media and the public have positive feedback on the development of the first wave of independent VR devices in recent years, such as Oculus, Vive Focus, etc. But in China, there are cases where thunder and raindrops are small, the biggest problem is Vendors are developing their own ecosystems, lacking common standards and platforms.
In this regard, Qualcomm and HTC have launched the Vive App Store, which will help to establish a common platform that all vendors can use.
In May of this year, Qualcomm released the world's first dedicated XR platform, the Xiaolong XR1 platform. The reason for releasing such a platform is to ensure that the price is more intimate and the performance is smoother.
From the perspective of the mobile PC platform, the corresponding mobile computing platform is still being developed through the strategy of high-end communication chip transplantation. In terms of mobile computing platform, Qualcomm is more like trying, and the selected partners are both Asus and Lenovo. For mobile and PC-capable companies, Qualcomm believes that both parties can achieve better communication. At present, ASUS, Lenovo and other notebook products using Snapdragon chips have been released.
Like XR, price and application experience are still the main indicators of consumer concern. From the current price point of view, '骁龙本' does not have obvious competitiveness, compared with the X86 architecture of PC, through simulation骁龙本 will be lacking in performance, but in terms of networking, battery life, appearance, and ease of use, it can bring a better experience. At the same time, Qualcomm is also adopting an ecosystem with Microsoft and more content vendors. Level cooperation, to achieve further effective support for win10 on the dragon.
5G: Unleash industry leadership
Although Qualcomm hopes to reduce its revenue from mobile services in the future by half, the current mobile business still plays an important role, especially when the 5G era is approaching.
At present, on the basis of the 200, 400, 600, 800 series, Qualcomm is also expanding its product line architecture. At this year's MWC, Qualcomm released the 700 series, and in May released the first platform of the series 710. During the 2018 Shanghai MWC held in June, 632, 439 and 429 three new Snapdragon platforms were unveiled.
It can be seen that the development cycle on the mid- to high-end 600, 400 series is very fast, and can also be regarded as a powerful blockade against MediaTek, which launched a counterattack in the second half of this year.
Carrying in the accumulation and advantages of 3G, 4G era, Qualcomm is also releasing leadership in the 5G field.
In 2017, Qualcomm was the first to release the X50 5G baseband chip and is actively promoting the further commercialization of 5G. Recently, the RF antenna module of millimeter wave and below 6GHz has been released, which has accelerated the commercial speed of 5G mobile phone.
In addition, Qualcomm and Ericsson, Nokia, ZTE, etc. have carried out 5G IoDT (interconnected) testing cooperation. Mainstream operators including the United States, China, Germany, South Korea have chosen to use the X50 5G baseband chip for 5G testing. There are more than 18 OEM announced that it will be equipped with X50 baseband chips in 5G products.
In addition, in the field of RF front-end, Qualcomm has accumulated and prepared for many years, from the initial envelope tracker to antenna tuner, power amplifier and antenna switch, and the development of the joint venture RF360 developed by TDK. A series of products. After a long-term strategic layout, Qualcomm finally has a complete RF front-end product line that covers all modules and chips from the baseband chip to the antenna when the 5G era arrives.
QTM052 millimeter wave antenna module
In the 5G era, due to design reasons, it is difficult for mobile phone manufacturers to separate the baseband chip from the RF platform. Therefore, with such capability, on the one hand, it will greatly save design costs and time for OEMs. On the other hand, it means huge Market space. In the next three years, Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo signed a $2 billion purchase agreement with Qualcomm in the RF front.
For the purpose of market competition, 5G's racing has made operators and terminal manufacturers in various countries try to release related products first. Qualcomm said that it will fully support these vendors.
Durga Malladi, Senior Vice President, Engineering, Qualcomm
According to Qualcomm's plan, 5G mobile phones should be launched as early as next year. According to media reports, Qualcomm said that some aggressive OEMs will launch 5G mobile phones by the end of this year. Durga Malladi, senior vice president of engineering and technology at Qualcomm, accepted the micro-network. The reporter said in an interview that his original intention is that Qualcomm's 5G data products will appear at the end of this year, such as CPE. He said that according to the rhythm of each country, South Korea and the United States may be the first countries to release 5G mobile phones.
Business model: The logic of the invention company
As the two main business units, the Chip Sales (QCT) Technology Licensing (QTL) has consistently contributed stable revenue to Qualcomm. But Qualcomm's business model has faced some challenges in recent years.
Compared to chip sales, Qualcomm has been licensing technology for more than 27 years. In Qualcomm's view, such a model stems from its fundamental and systematic contribution to mobile communications, stemming from its nature as an invention company. The mechanism for commercialization of mobile communication technologies.
Qualcomm has always emphasized the systemic nature of innovation, which means that thinking about problems requires systematic thinking. It is not simply a matter of developing communication technology itself, which also determines the technical complexity of research and development.
Fan Mingxi, Vice President of Engineering, Qualcomm
Fan Mingxi, vice president of engineering and technology at Qualcomm, introduced a technology or invention patent, from initial simulation to proposing ideas for partner testing, optimization based on feedback, and product development and testing, when technical verification or standardization To the front end to communicate with operators, equipment vendors, OEMs to define products, during this period experienced a complex process. And often the investment in research and development is not successful.
'If I use R&D to measure R&D, I can say that most of our investment in R&D has failed because many of our invested R&D have not received financial returns and have not been immediately converted into revenue. "Fan Mingxi said. Up to now, Qualcomm's cumulative investment in research and development has reached 51 billion US dollars.
It is such a process that makes it difficult for some people to understand the patent value of Qualcomm. Qualcomm is often subject to some outside misunderstandings.
Qualcomm Senior Engineering Vice President and Technology Licensing Business (QTL) Legal Counselor Chen Liren
In the view of Chen Liren, vice president of Qualcomm's senior engineering and legal consultant of the technology licensing business (QTL), the process of standardization of mobile communication technology has a strong dependence on intellectual property. Unlike cash goods transactions, it is a one-handed delivery. It takes a long time to really make it commercially available. In the meantime, it often takes years of R&D investment, submitted to the standardization organization and compared with other technologies, through technical, cost, and efficiency comparisons. Prove the pros and cons of technology. Being adopted as a standard, will be referenced to be made into systems and products that are compatible with standardization. Only those technologies that are finally adopted and commercialized can be rewarded and then returned to the R&D process.
Patent wall of Qualcomm headquarters
'If there is no intellectual property protection, our research and development will become 'passive water'. Nowadays, if enterprises need to do key technology research and development, it is necessary to involve standardization and technology related to standardization. In the end, it will Intellectual property protection is needed to support such high R&D costs. ' Chen Liren said.
This determines that the standardization of mobile communication is a long-term process. From another perspective, it is also a process of large-scale trial and error, which determines that there will be huge investment. Without strict intellectual property protection, enterprises will not be able to carry out long-term Continuous research and development and investment, continue to maintain a leading position, especially for an inventor company.
Today, Qualcomm has applied for and obtained 130,000 patents worldwide, and Qualcomm has 345 technology licensing partners worldwide. Among them, Qualcomm has reached technology licensing agreements with more than 150 Chinese companies. Worldwide, more than 10 billion units have been produced through Qualcomm technology licenses.