Qualcomm debuts AI-optimized A7 Elite chip to power Wi-Fi systems

Qualcomm Inc. today announced Networking Pro A7 Elite, a new chip for powering routers and other network devices that provide Wi-Fi connectivity.

The system is based on a new version of the Wi-Fi standard that was introduced earlier this year. Wi-Fi 7, as this technology is called, provides up to four times greater bandwidth than its predecessor. The new standard also provides several other benefits, including lower latency and more reliable connections.

“Networking Pro A7 Elite integrates key elements from broadband to antenna – including 10G Fiber, 5G, Ethernet, RF-Front End and filters into one integrated platform,” said Ganesh Swaminathan, vice president and general manager of Qualcomm Wireless Infrastructure and networking group.

Many Wi-Fi routers come with multiple antennas that allow them to send and receive several streams of data at the same time. The more data streams a router supports, the greater its maximum throughput. Qualcomm’s new Pro A7 Elite can manage up to 16 streams, which is the maximum number supported by Wi-Fi 7 and double what the previous version of the wireless standard offered.

Wi-Fi 7 also introduces several other features to increase throughput. It converts data into radio signals using 4096-QAM technology, which encodes 20% more information in each pulse than the transmission method used in Wi-Fi 7. Another new feature, MLO, allows the Wi-i 7 router to spread the connection across multiple frequency bands radio to speed up data transfer.

Qualcomm says routers equipped with the new A7 Elite chip can deliver wireless throughput of up to 33 gigabytes per second. The processor’s core Wi-Fi functions are supported by a number of supporting components, including an RF overlay. This is a subsystem that removes interference from radio data signals received by the router’s antenna, helping to improve the reliability of wireless connections.

The A7 Elite’s network circuitry is integrated with an artificial intelligence co-processor. Qualcomm claims it has a maximum performance of 40 TOP, or 40 trillion calculations per second. The module allows A7 Elite-equipped Wi-Fi devices to run AI models locally, which provides better latency than sending data to a cloud-based algorithm for processing.

Qualcomm anticipates that hardware manufacturers will adopt the A7 Elite coprocessor for a range of applications. For example, a company could build a router that uses artificial intelligence to detect malicious network traffic. The neural networks installed on the A7 Elite can also solve technical problems, optimize energy consumption and perform other tasks.

The chipmaker is offering a library of 100 pre-optimized AI models to make software development easier for networking equipment makers. If a company’s requirements are not fully met by these algorithms, it can run custom software on the A7 Elite coprocessor. A set of software tools called Qualcomm AI Stack makes it easy to optimize external neural networks for silicon.

The A7 Elite is currently shipping to its first customers.

Image: Qualcomm