CNBC-TV18 Exclusive | Qualcomm in talks with Tata to tap India's chip capacity, says global COO & CFO Akash Palkhiwala

Qualcomm is closely engaged with Tata Group and other Indian players as the country builds out semiconductor fabrication and packaging capacity, the American chipmaker's Global Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive interaction.

Palkhiwala said Qualcomm will look to use India's capacity as soon as it meets the company's node requirements.

"Global players are seeking to diversify their manufacturing base, and the timing is just right with India offering incentives that make it possible. Our role is to help customers take advantage of this shift in the best possible way," he said.

Palkhiwala's comments came on the sidelines of this year's Snapdragon Summit, where the company unveiled its latest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

The processor will power upcoming flagship Android smartphones as well as a new wave of computing chips for next-generation PCs. This annual upgrade rivals Apple's A19 Pro chip and will drive the next cycle of Android flagship phones.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 also introduces what Qualcomm describes as personalised agentic AI assistants, on-device models that continuously learn, process real-time inputs, and proactively suggest actions without compromising user privacy.

The new chip will debut in flagship devices from leading OEMs and smartphone brands in the coming days. Confirmed partners include Honor, iQOO, Nubia, OnePlus, Oppo, Poco, Realme, Redmi, RedMagic, ROG, Samsung, Sony, vivo, Xiaomi and ZTE.

Palkhiwala underlined India's importance not only as a rapidly growing market for premium devices but also as Qualcomm's largest employee base outside the US.

The company operates large engineering centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad, with additional presence in Chennai and Delhi. "India is a core part of our engineering efforts globally, and we’ll continue to expand our footprint," he said.

He also pointed to Qualcomm's active venture capital program in India, saying the company will step up investments as the startup ecosystem scales.

On the technology front, he said Qualcomm is preparing to lead the global rollout of 6G, with pre-commercial devices expected by 2028 in time for the Los Angeles Olympics. "Every 10 years a new ‘G’ shows up, and now it’s time for 6G. Qualcomm will lead it without a doubt," he said.

AI will remain "foundational" to Qualcomm's strategy, he added, with more use cases shifting to devices rather than the cloud. "Circle to Search on Google and Samsung phones is just the beginning. The next couple of years will bring incredibly important new AI use cases," he said.Read about our editorial guidelines and ethics policy