Slide 1: Enabling the rise of the smartphone: Chronicling the developmental history at Qualcomm
December 10, 2020 @Qualcomm_tech Enabling the rise of the smartphone: Chronicling the developmental history at Qualcomm Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.
Slide 2: Mobile smartphones are an amazing technical achievement
Mobile smartphones are an amazing technical achievement Mind-blowing performance Broadband speeds Processing power greater than the most Blazing fast multi-Gbps data rates advanced super computers of the early 1990s All in a device that fits in High-quality multimedia your hand Internet connectivity
Slide 3: 1983: Introduction of 1G cellular wireless (AMPS)
1983: Introduction of 1G cellular wireless (AMPS) Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) using 30kHz FM-modulated voice channels Radio base FDMA stations Freq A Communication links Freq A Freq A A B PSTN Freq A Mobile Freq A Freq A Switching Office Large frequency gap required between users to av
Slide 4: Late 80's to early 90's: 2G digital cellular wireless
Late 80’s to early 90’s: 2G digital cellular wireless U.S. industry was already moving down the TDMA path (standardized as IS-54 in 1990) Analog Digital Frequency-Division Multiple Access Time-Division Multiple Access Code-Division Multiple Access (FDMA) (TDMA) (CDMA) Only one user per radio channel
Slide 5: Seminal CDMA memo by Klein Gilhousen
Seminal CDMA memo by Klein Gilhousen Analyzed the use of CDMA for digital cellular compared with FDMA Summary “I consider these results to be so staggering that I would like everyone given a copy of this memo to recheck the assumptions and the results. Clearly, there is a business opportunity here.”
Slide 6: How does CDMA work?
How does CDMA work? Each user creates a small amount of interference for the other users At the transmitter At the receiver Signal looks like noise Other signals Spread using Code A Reconstruct using User A look like noise Voice User A Code A Voice Voice Voice Spread using Code B Voice Voice Reconst
Slide 7: CDMA was met with skepticism by the industry
CDMA was met with skepticism by the industry Significant doubt that CDMA could be deployed successfully for commercial use “It’s too late. We’re “It won’t work in the “It’s too complex.” “CDMA violates the already down the real world the way laws of physics!” TDMA path.” they claim.” Qualcomm was fo
Slide 8: Why the skepticism? What were the big challenges?
Why the skepticism? What were the big challenges? 1. Near-far power challenge 2. Cell-edge challenge 3. Multipath fading challenge Users close to the tower overpower the uplink signal High interference caused by users at the cell Destructive interference caused by reflections minimizing capacity on
Slide 9: November 7, 1989: The CDMA demo in San Diego
November 7, 1989: The CDMA demo in San Diego Pacific Telesis in LA (PacTel) was the sole carrier receptive to CDMA technology Demonstrate soft-handoff between 2 cell sites IEEE Milestone Award This successful demo started the industry shift towards acceptance of CDMA as a viable approach 9
Slide 10: Many more CDMA demonstrations and testing
Many more CDMA demonstrations and testing Need to prove the system worked as advertised in the real world February 1990: NYC (Nynex) Nov 1991: CDMA capacity testing To prove CDMA worked in an urban environment Qualcomm employees loaded mobile devices in CDMA mobile with significant multipath their c
Slide 11: CDMA complexity challenge mitigated by Moore's Law
CDMA complexity challenge mitigated by Moore’s Law The number of transistors per square inch on an integrated circuit will double approximately every 2 years Moore’s Law: Transistor count by year 100,000,000,000 10,000,000,000 Number of transistors (log scale) 1,000,000,000 100,000,000 10,000,000 1,
Slide 12: The power of Moore's Law in shrinking our early phone designs
The power of Moore’s Law in shrinking our early phone designs Qualcomm Alpha II phone Qualcomm Beta phone Qualcomm QCP-800 phone 3 chip CDMA chipset in 1.2m process Single-chip CDMA MSM in .8m process MSM2 in .5m process Every process node change allowed a big reduction in phone form factor 12
Slide 13: CDMA standardization and commercialization timeline
CDMA standardization and commercialization timeline CDMA credibility continued to grow, leading to some major deployment announcements Primeco to build PCS network using Qualcomm's technology RCR Wireless By RCR Wireless Staff on JUNE 19, 1995 When PCS PrimeCo L.P. announced earlier this month plans
Slide 14: Qualcomm built everything to jump-start the CDMA industry
Qualcomm built everything to jump-start the CDMA industry Industry skepticism about CDMA caused traditional equipment suppliers to get a late start Chips Phones Infrastructure equipment (Partnership with Sony 1994) (Partnership with Nortel 1994) MSM2300 MSM3000 Sold to Kyocera in 2002 Sold to Ericss
Slide 15: Data: The next frontier for 3G
Data: The next frontier for 3G Qualcomm advocated packet-switched data using the TCP/IP stack TCP/IP Stack TCP/IP Stack Application Application TCP/UDP TCP/UDP IP IP Link Layer Link Layer Base Station Controller (BSC) PDSN Internet Qualcomm helped drive the industry towards direct internet connectiv
Slide 16: Designing a CDMA system optimized for packet data
Designing a CDMA system optimized for packet data Data has different characteristics than voice; goal is to optimize total data throughput CDMA2000 (Voice) / EV-DO (Data) 1.25 MHz Voice 1.25 MHz 1 Optimize data throughput by sending maximum data rate to a single user at any instant; Power Resources
Slide 17: The importance of the EV-DO scheduler is recognized
The importance of the EV-DO scheduler is recognized Slate selected the scheduling code as one of the 36 most impactful pieces of software of all time The Lines of Code That Changed Everything Apollo 11, the JPEG, the first pop-up ad, and 33 other bits of software that have transformed our world. Oct
Slide 18: 1st Amazon Kindle enabled EV-DO internet connectivity
1st Amazon Kindle enabled EV-DO internet connectivity Amazon Kindle Official Details: $399, $400 "Whispernet" EV-DO, the "iPod of Reading" Gizmodo, 11/18/07 EV-DO There's a lot to digest in Newsweek's seven-page all-out feature. internet Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos sums it up: "This isn't a device, it's a
Slide 19: Data technologies continued to evolve in 3G
Data technologies continued to evolve in 3G Mobile broadband timeline1 14.4 Mbps → EV-DO and HSPA Benefits 63+ Mbps 1999 Series 1 Qualcomm introduces EV-DO • Delivered achievable throughput >2 Mbps January 2002 • Reduced operator cost First EV-DO commercial launch for data services HSPA+ Q4 2004 • C
Slide 20: We led the way to gigabit-class LTE
We led the way to gigabit-class LTE Faster, better mobile broadband Peak download speed supported in modem (Mbps) >500x Peak download speeds of ~10x Peak download speeds of 600 Mbps Snapdragon early 3G devices first-gen LTE devices X12 LTE Modem 450 Mbps Snapdragon X10 LTE Modem 300 Mbps Snapdragon
Slide 21: We led the evolution and expansion of LTE
We led the evolution and expansion of LTE Carrier Hybrid Fast link OFDMA, SC- FDMA aggregation ARQ adaptation waveforms CSFB Leading in 5G requires LTE- U/LAA/ MulteFire 4G LTE CoMP eLAA Leadership Lower power consumption LTE Broadcast Small cells LWA technologies, e.g. DTX/DRX (eMBMS) interference
Slide 22: 5G brings an enhanced air interface for unified connectivity
5G brings an enhanced air interface for unified connectivity 5G improvement over 4G Our wireless inventions are leading the 5G evolution 10x 10x Decrease in Experienced end-to-end latency throughput 3x 100x Spectrum Traffic efficiency capacity 100x 10x Network efficiency Connection density 3G/4G fou
Slide 23: Patent value is about quality rather than quantity
Patent value is about quality rather than quantity Why 5G Patent ‘Value’ Is More Patent Count Patent Value and Impact Important Than The ‘Number’ Of Patents Patrick Moorhead Moor Insights & Strategy, February 27, 2020 According to IPWatchdog, in a recent webcast (slides here), while many companies c
Slide 24: Where would many companies be without Qualcomm's inventions?
DoorDash Groupon Instagram Facebook Grubhub Where would many companies be without Lyft Twitch Uber Qualcomm’s inventions? Snapchat Twitter Foundational data technologies spurred new innovative services, experiences, and business models Fundamental innovations Our fundamental research helped spawn en
Slide 25: Integration of capabilities enabled by Moore's law
Integration of capabilities enabled by Moore’s law Video 3D Graphics Playback Sensors Music GPS Position Location Wireless WAN Camera Stereo Headset with Wireless LAN Bluetooth/UWB Security PC Peripherals Video Video Recorder Recorder 865 MSM™ 1 0.8 m 0.5 m 0.35 m 0.25 m 0.18 m 0.13 m 90 nm 65 nm 45
Slide 26: 2000: Integration of audio capability
MSM3300 2000: Integration of audio capability Audio applications are run on our internally developed DSP Audio MP3 Decoder Compact Multimedia Extension (CMX) Enables time-synchronized combining of Midi-based music, PNG graphics, animation, text, and speech Allows people to listen Allows custom ringt
Slide 27: 2000: Integration of Bluetooth and GPS
MSM3300 2000: Integration of Bluetooth and GPS Expanding the utility of the cellphone beyond voice calls Bluetooth GPS 1 Low-power wireless connection to peripherals Enable E911 and location-based services 1; Source: Bluetooth SIG Market Update 2020 Wireless Communications Public Service Act (911 ac
Slide 28: 2002: Integration of video capability
MSM6100 2002: Integration of video capability Video applications were initially run on an internally developed DSP Qtv Qcamcorder Qvideophone MPEG4 / H.263 decoder MPEG4 / H.263 encoder MPEG4 / H.263 encoder/decoder Enable playing and recording of video clips, and video telephony 28
Slide 29: 2002: Integration of camera?
2002: Integration of camera? At this time, camera image processing was embedded inside the camera module, while JPEG image compression was performed in an external chip Packaged camera module JPEG codec chip Image DSP JPEG CODEC & Memory MSM Image sensor Camera modules were built by companies that b
Slide 30: 2002: Integration of camera
2002: Integration of camera Integration of the JPEG image compression was a natural first step Packaged camera module Image DSP MSM JPEG CODEC & Memory JPEG Image sensor CODEC JPEG image processing standard could easily be handled by the MSM, and the integration saves both cost and board area 30
Slide 31: 2002: Integration of camera?
2002: Integration of camera? Should we integrate the image processing as well? Rationale for 1. Could be a popular feature because 2. Photo sharing is a good 3. Integrating the image processing will integration: your phone (and therefore your application to drive demand save cost, because the cost o
Slide 32: 2002-2004: Integration of camera
MSM6500 MSM6550 2002-2004: Integration of camera Qualcomm culture motivated us to integrate the camera anyway DSP-based HW-based Rationale for 1. Could be a popular feature because 2. Photo sharing is a good 3. Integrating the image processing will integration: your phone (and therefore your applica
Slide 33: 2002: Started work on 3D graphics
2002: Started work on 3D graphics We thought people might want to play games on their phone during idle time Learning 3D graphics from ground-up Early demonstration content Rasterizer 3D 3D We started building our knowledge of 3D graphics from scratch: transformation, lighting, shading, triangle ras
Slide 34: 2004: Integration of 1st graphics core
MSM6550 2004: Integration of 1st graphics core Our design coincided with the OpenGL ES API development in the Khronos Group Targeted geometry performance to Some initial games we attracted slightly exceed PlayStation 1 to the platform Game developers were interested because of the volumes of phones
Slide 35: 2004: Integration of camera, video, and graphics hardware
2004: Integration of camera, video, and graphics hardware MSM6550 was our first chip stressing multimedia capability (no change to the modem) Same Modem • cdma2000 1x, EV-DO, GSM/GPRS • Audio: MP3, AAC, AAC+ playback • Combined 1x/EV-DO/GPS searcher • Camera: 4 MP snapshot • DSP-based demodulation •
Slide 36: 2005: Images from our 1st hardware-based camera
MSM6550 2005: Images from our 1st hardware-based camera High-quality images built confidence in our camera solution and shifted the whole industry towards bare sensor modules plus baseband-integrated ISP 36
Slide 37: 2004: Phone reference design for MSM6550
2004: Phone reference design for MSM6550 Dual display, 2MP camera with LED flash, stereo speakers, gaming controls, and more Gaming Mode Shoulder Buttons 1, 2, 3 & 4 Stereo Speakers Analog Rocker Joystick Buttons 320x240 18 bit Color Display A custom reference design to demonstrate our multimedia ca
Slide 38: Examples of phones using MSM6x50 (around 2005)
Examples of phones using MSM6x50 (around 2005) Clamshell phones with 2-inch displays and 1.3-2.0 megapixel cameras Casio A5512CA (MSM6550) Toshiba W55T (MSM6550) LGE U880 (MSM6250) Samsung Z510 (MSM6250) 2.2” QVGA Display (320x240) 2.4” WQVGA Display (400x240) 2” Mobile XGA Display (220x176) 2” QVGA
Slide 39: Advantages of integration
Advantages of integration Integration strategy was winning over customers Non-integrated Our highly solution Video integrated solution ASIC • Complete / integrated solution Ringer ASIC • Lower device costs Camera • Faster time to market Module • Proven interoperability 3D Gaming ASIC Lower silicon c
Slide 40: 2005: Integration of 2nd CPU to support 3rd-party OS
2005: Integration of 2nd CPU to support 3rd-party OS MSM7500 was the first Qualcomm chip to separate the modem and applications subsystems Windows Brew Mobile MSM7500 Mobile operating ARM 9 ARM 11 CPU CPU systems Modem Applications Palm OS Symbian OS subsystem subsystem J2ME Need for an OS to manage
Slide 41: Examples of phones using MSM7xxx (around 2008-2009)
Examples of phones using MSM7xxx (around 2008-2009) 3rd-party OS, 2.8” – 3” displays, 3MP cameras, often with pullout QWERTY keyboards 1st commercial Android device 1st Samsung Galaxy device Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 (MSM7200) T-Mobile G1 / HTC Dream (MSM7201A) Samsung I7500 Galaxy (MSM7200A) Microsof
Slide 42: 2007: Integration of 1 GHz CPU, 600MHz DSP, and ATI GPU
2007: Integration of 1 GHz CPU, 600MHz DSP, and ATI GPU Qualcomm did a custom CPU implementation of the ARM v7 architecture Bus Interface Unit L2 Cache/TCM DMA MSM8650 L1 I-Cache L1 D-Cache ATI 1 GHz GPU Core Scorpion CPU VeNum Superscalar Multimedia CPU 600 MHz Qualcomm® Engine Hexagon™ DSP Debug &
Slide 43: Examples of phones using MSM8x50 (around 2010)
Examples of phones using MSM8x50 (around 2010) Larger WVGA displays, higher megapixel cameras, touchscreen keyboards Toshiba TG01 (MSM8250) HTC Google Nexus One (MSM8250) HTC Droid Incredible (MSM8650) Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Android 2.1 (Éclair) Android 2.1 (Éclair) 4.1” WVGA Display (800x480)
Slide 44: Fast CPUs and larger displays drove mobile browser usage
Fast CPUs and larger displays Webkit (open source browser engine) was used as a basis for many of the mobile browsers drove mobile browser usage Users could access web information anytime: weather, stock quotes, travel schedules, … Apple Safari Torch Mobile Mobile Browser Webkit Open Iris Browser So
Slide 45: 2009: Integration of high-definition video (1080p) capability
2009: Integration of high-definition video (1080p) capability Also upgraded the display core (scaling, contrast enhancement) and interfaces (HDMI) 1920 MSM8660 HD Video 1080 1.5 GHz Scorpion CPU Core 1.5 GHz MDP4 Scorpion CPU (Display core) Encoding and decoding of video in full HD (1080p) resolutio
Slide 46: Video playback resolution chart
Video 2002 MSM6100 QCIF (176x144) playback 2004 QVGA (320x240) resolution MSM6550 chart 2005 MSM7500 VGA (640x480) WVGA (854x480) > 80X increase in pixel resolution in less than 10 years 2007 MSM8650 720p HD (1280x720) 16:9 aspect ratio 2009 MSM8660 1080p Full HD (1920x1080) Another example of the e
Slide 47: Examples of phones using MSM8660 (around 2011)
Examples of phones using MSM8660 (around 2011) 4-inch plus displays, 8-megapixel cameras, high-definition (HD) displays, 1080p video HTC Sensation (MSM8660) Samsung Galaxy S II HD (MSM8660) LGE Optimus LTE (MSM8660) Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) 4.3” Q
Slide 48: 2011: Integration of LTE modem (4G)
2011: Integration of LTE modem (4G) Also integrated a Wi-Fi modem and a sensors processor MSM8960 Cellular Support LTE FDD 100 Mbps DL / 50 Mbps UL (Cat. 3, 3GPP Rel. 9) MSM8960 LTE TDD 68 Mbps DL / 17 Mbps UL (Cat. 3, 3GPP Rel. 9) 1.7 GHz LTE multi- UMTS DC-HSPA+ 42 Mbps DL (Cat. 24) / 11 Mbps UL (
Slide 49: 2011: Integration of sensors processor
2011: Integration of sensors processor Process sensor data at lower power (than the big CPU) Sensor data Enhanced functionality and experiences • Touchscreen Accelerometer Gyroscope Compass • Display orientation • Phone to ear detection • Pedometer • Image stabilization Proximity Touch Ambient light
Slide 50: 2012: Integration of quad-CPU, GPU shader core, 4k video
2012: Integration of quad-CPU, GPU shader core, 4k video 4k video capability Dual-camera capability 800 2.3 GHz 2.3 GHz Qualcomm® Krait CPU Krait™ CPU SD 1080p Full HD 4K Ultra HD (640x480) (1920x1080) (3840x2160) 2.3 GHz 2.3 GHz Krait CPU Krait CPU GPU with fixed function pipeline GPU with programm
Slide 51: Examples of phones using Snapdragon 800 (around 2014)
Examples of phones using Snapdragon 800 (around 2014) Full HD (1080p) or larger displays; larger resolution front and rear cameras 1st cellphone with dual camera LG G3 (Snapdragon 800) HTC One M8 (Snapdragon 800) Sony Xperia Z2 (Snapdragon 800) Android 4.4.2 (Kit-Kat) Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) Android
Slide 52: Dual-camera experiences
Dual-camera experiences Instant autofocus Segmentation with Re-focus Bokeh range measurement background modification Depth Low light enhancement High dynamic range Wide lens Tele lens Fusion Zoom capability Qualcomm Technologies was the 1st company to enable dual-camera capability 52
Slide 53: Fast forward: Evolution of our premium tier to the present
Fast forward: Evolution of our premium tier to the present Our premium-tier chip is updated every year X55 810 820 835 845 855 865 20nm process 14nm process 10nm process 10nm process 7nm process 7nm process • Octa-core • 40% higher GPU • 1 Gbps LTE • 1.2 Gbps LTE • 2.0 Gbps LTE • 7.5 Gbps 5G 64-bit
Slide 54: Snapdragon 865-based phones: sleek and bezel-less with voice UI
Snapdragon 865-based phones: sleek and bezel-less with voice UI All of these phones use our Qualcomm® Voice Activation for keyword detection Bringing AI to the masses iQOO Neo3 5G Xiaomi Mi10 Pro 5G OnePlus 8 Pro LG V60 ThinQ 5G Snapdragon 865 Snapdragon 865 Snapdragon 865 Snapdragon 865 Qualcomm Vo
Slide 55: Premium-tier phones all have multiple cameras
Premium-tier phones all have multiple cameras 20 Megapixel Front camera 32 Megapixel Front camera 108 Megapixel camera 48 Megapixel camera 20 Megapixel ultra wide-angle camera 48 Megapixel ultra wide-angle camera 12 Megapixel short telephoto camera 13 Megapixel telephoto camera 8 Megapixel Long tele
Slide 56: 8K video recording on smartphones for the 1st time in history
8K video recording on smartphones for the 1st time in history Snapdragon Mobile Platform-enabled smartphones can now: • Produce 8K videos • Produce 4K HDR videos with 1 billion colors • Take up to 200 MP photos • Share virtually anytime and anywhere with 5G Chinese National Geography Magazine used S
Slide 57: Tremendous improvement in GPU performance
Tremendous improvement in GPU performance Adreno 650 GPU 865 ~ ~ Xbox One The GPU in Snapdragon 865 has roughly equivalent performance to the Xbox One, enabling console-quality games to be ported to mobile devices 57
Slide 58: Mobile gaming is expanding rapidly
Mobile gaming is expanding rapidly Asus ROG Phone 3 Xiaomi Black Shark 3 Pro Snapdragon 865+ with Android 10.0 Snapdragon 865 with Android 10.0 6.59” FHD+ (2340x1080) Display 7.1” QHD (3120x1440) Display (144Hz refresh) (90Hz refresh, 484 PPI) Several phones are being custom-designed for online gami
Slide 59: Snapdragon is the world's leading Extended Reality (XR) platform
Snapdragon is the world’s leading Extended Reality (XR) platform Glass Enterprise Edition 2 Oculus Camera GPU Quest CVP XRSPACE DPU MANOVA Video Audio LPI Sensors LPI Nreal Light Oculus Quest 2 HTC VIVE Focus Plus Leading technologies and optimized system design make Snapdragon the leading AR/VR sol
Slide 60: Real-time language transcription / translation on the device
AI capability on Snapdragon 865 Real-time language transcription / translation on the device 60
Slide 61: The cellphone has transformed from 1995 to 2020
The cellphone has transformed from 1995 to 2020 The power of integration driven by Moore’s Law Then (1995) Now (2020) • 500nm process • 7nm process • 1.4M transistors • ~ 10B transistors • CDMA voice-only • 7.5 Gbps 5G modem 865 • < 20 MHz Intel ‘186 CPU • 2.84 GHz Octa-core CPU • GNSS location serv
Slide 62: Thank you
Thank you Follow us on: For more information, visit us at: www.qualcomm.com & www.qualcomm.com/blog Nothing in these materials is an offer to sell any of the References in this presentation to “Qualcomm” may mean Qualcomm components or devices referenced herein. Incorporated, Qualcomm Technologies,