Samsung Takes on Qualcomm and Google in XR Device Market with New Processor Chips

Insiders reveal that South Korean electronics giant Samsung has taken action to develop processor chips for Extended Reality (XR) devices, aiming to challenge Qualcomm and Google in this rapidly growing market.

According to a report by the Korean Economic Daily, Samsung's plan to enter the XR device chip market has started taking shape, although further details have not been provided. Earlier this year, Samsung's Experiences division announced plans to develop XR devices, envisioning them as the next big thing beyond smartphones.

Samsung's only semiconductor business unit, the System LSI division, currently produces Exynos series processors for smartphones, automobiles, and wearables. However, these processors are primarily designed as central processing units (CPUs) and not specifically for XR devices.

Therefore, Samsung is considering developing new processors for XR products or modifying the existing Exynos series processors to meet the requirements of XR devices. XR devices, such as smart glasses, offer immersive experiences and real-time language translation. The central processor plays a crucial role in collecting and processing sensor data, evaluating and tracking users' body and eye movements, as well as estimating their location.

Research firm Counterpoint predicts that XR device shipments will reach 110 million units by 2025, a fivefold increase compared to last year's 18 million units. IDC also estimates that the XR device market will grow to $50.9 billion by 2026, significantly higher than the $13.9 billion in 2022.

Global tech giants are intensifying their research and development efforts in XR devices. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, unveiled its advanced Mixed Reality (MR) headsets, the Meta Quest Pro, in November last year. Apple is also expected to announce its own MR headsets, tentatively named Reality Pro, at the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 5th.

Qualcomm is currently leading the pack in XR device chip development. In November last year, they introduced their latest XR chip series, the Snapdragon AR2. Qualcomm stated that over a dozen XR device manufacturers are developing products based on the AR2 chip.