Product Software Integration Engineer

ASUS Ascent QN10 brings Snapdragon X2 Elite to mini PCs for the first time. by Paul Lilly - Tuesday, June 02, 2026, 09:04 AM EDT ASUS once picked up right where Intel left off when the chip maker decided to shift is Next Unit of Computing (NUC) platform to a licensing model, so it's not surprising that ASUS is also first in line to inject Qualcomm's Snadragon X2 Elite into a mini PC form factor. In doing so, the new ASUS Ascent QN20 is the first AI mini PC to feature Qualcomm's flagship SoC series. Video Muted "With the launch of the ASUS Ascent QN10, the first mini-PC powered by the Snapdragon X2 Elite platform, Qualcomm Technologies, together with ASUS, is expanding the Snapdragon X Series beyond Windows laptops, bringing its industry-leading performance and AI leadership squarely into the AI mini-PC space," Qualcomm boasts in a blog post. Qualcomm sees this as a major milestone for Snapdragon and proof that the same platform found in phones and laptops can power a new era of mini PCs. It won't be without competition, though, and not just from x86 solutions by AMD and Intel. It will also eventually go up against a new wave of systems powered by NVIDIA's RTX Spark, which was also announced at Computex 2026. The impact of RTX Spark and NVIDIA's entrance into the PC market (outside of discrete graphics cards and mobile GPUs) will take some time to play out and assess. In the meantime, the Ascent QN10 with its Snapdragon X2 Elite brings a dedicated NPU with 80 TOPS to the mini PC form factor to run AI workloads and agents locally, such as OpenClaw, Hermes, Cursor, Claude Desktop, Open AI codex, and OpenCode. "Enterprise-grade, chip-to-cloud security is built into the platform, helping protect sensitive data at every layer - making Snapdragon X2 Elite an ideal foundation for professional and business environments," Qualcomm says. ASUS stuffed the Snapdragon X2 Elite into a 0.2L chassis that, by the math, is 86% smaller than a standard 5L mini PC desktop form factor. And though small in size, it's big on the port selection, which includes two USB4 ports, a USB 3.2 Gen 2 port, a USB 2.0 port, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the front (plus a power button). Around back, there's another USB4 port, two more USB 3.2 Type-A ports, an HDMI 2.1 output, and a 2.5Gbps LAN port. HotHardware, Inc. did some digging and found a proper spec sheet, which reveals that ASUS using the Snapdragon X2 Elite X2E-88-100. That SKU sits in the middle of the Snapdragon X2 Elite pack and features the full 18 cores, up to a 4.7GHz clock speed, 53MB of cache, and Adreno X2-90 graphics clocked at up to 1.7GHz. The Ascent QN10 supports up to 32GB of LPDDR5X-9600 memory and up to 4TB of PCIe Gen4 solid state drive (SSD) storage by way of dual M.2 2280 slots. It also serves up Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 for wireless connectivity. ASUS has not yet revealed pricing or a release date. Paul is a seasoned geek who cut this teeth on the Commodore 64. When he's not geeking out to tech, he's out riding his Harley and collecting stray cats.

NEXCOM (8234) forges strategic collaboration with Qualcomm to accelerate Embodied AI robotics development at COMPUTEX. TAIPEI - June 2, 2026 - Today, at COMPUTEX 2026, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a global leader in communication and computing, and NexCOBOT Taiwan Co., Ltd. (NEXCOM), a leader in industrial computing, announced their intent to collaborate in the acceleration of the development of next-generation robotics solutions. This collaboration aims to combine Qualcomm Technologies' pioneering position in high-performance edge computing with NEXCOM's deep expertise in robotic functional safety and motion control to develop key technology platforms tailored for embodied AI robots, accelerating the global timeline for mass production. A Next-Generation AI Control Board: Harmonizing Qualcomm Dragonwing(TM) IQ10 Series with NEXCOM Group and Subsidiary: NexCOBOT TAIWAN Co., Ltd. (NEXCOM Robotic Solutions) Real-Time Control and Functional Safety Stack Qualcomm Technologies views intelligent robotics as the ultimate practice platform for physical AI applications. To meet this demand, Qualcomm Technologies is introducing the Dragonwing IQ10 Series, a dedicated processor designed for industrial Embodied AI robotics. The Dragonwing IQ10 Series is designed to feature high performance, low power consumption, and multi-sensor integration capabilities, helping to enable humanoid, embodied, AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot), and service robot applications. By integrating the Dragonwing IQ10 Series with the real-time motion control and functional safety technologies of NEXCOM, the two companies are assessing the launch of a "Next-Generation AI Control Board." It is envisioned that this solution would seamlessly blend Qualcomm Technologies' cutting-edge AI computing power with NEXCOM's specialized robotics control, aiming to provide the robotics industry with an AI controller defined by three core pillars: Real-Time Ready, EtherCAT Ready, and Functional Safety Ready. Targeting High-End Vertical Applications and the Humanoid Market NEXCOM and Qualcomm Technologies would focus on sectors requiring intensive AI computation and rigorous safety standards, including smart manufacturing, AMRs, and various high-end vertical robotics applications. By providing an "out-of-the-box" high-performance AI robotics solution, the collaboration could support developer goals of significantly shortening R&D cycles and accelerating time-to-market, with a particular emphasis on the burgeoning humanoid robot market. "Robotics is emerging as one of the most demanding applications of AI at the edge, requiring seamless integration of high-performance computing, real-time control, and functional safety," said Anshuman Saxena, VP and GM, ADAS & Robotics, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. "Through our collaboration with NEXCOM, we are aiming to combine on-device AI with advanced control and safety technologies to help accelerate the development and commercialization of embodied AI robotics." Clement Lin, Founder and CEO of NEXCOM, further stated: "NexCOBOT has deep-rooted expertise in robot core motion control technology, and provides robot controllers that meet international functional safety standards. Having obtained TÜV Rheinland certification in 2024, we are one of the very few companies in the industry to achieve robotic functional safety certification through a modular platform. Through this powerful collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies, we aim to become the preferred provider of core components for humanoid robot developers worldwide, collectively securing a leading position in the Edge AI market."