[Maui, United States = DigitalToday reporter Daegeon Seok] The PC ecosystem using the Snapdragon X series is expanding. As Qualcomm positions the X2 series as a platform where AI agents handle complex tasks directly on PCs, more manufacturers and software developers are joining. Microsoft unveiled Surface PCs powered by Snapdragon X2 Plus.

Qualcomm on Sept. 23 local time presented agentic AI as the direction for the X2 series at Snapdragon Summit 2026 in Maui, Hawaii. The summit introduced a 12-inch Microsoft Surface Pro and a 13-inch Surface Laptop powered by Snapdragon X2 Plus. Qualcomm said local AI inference on the two devices is 80 percent faster than the previous generation, and GPU performance is up to 55 percent higher. The two devices are designed to handle more tasks on-device so AI features can be used regardless of network connectivity.

For AI agents to handle multi-step tasks on a PC, both token generation speed and the context length handled at once must increase. To do that, the X2 series delivers up to twice the on-device tokens per second compared with the previous generation and supports context lengths of up to 200,000. Qualcomm explained that longer context lets AI agents infer longer workflows, retain more information and work more accurately. Processing tasks on-device reduces cloud costs and latency and prevents data from leaving the device.

At the summit, independent software vendors ran demos of agentic AI operating on-device on Snapdragon PCs. A demo combined AnythingLLM with photo-editing software ON1 Photo RAW to search and organize a large photo library with simple requests.

Clairvoyance AI showcased a hierarchical agent structure that distributes tasks across multiple models and escalates to higher-tier models only when needed. Deepgram demonstrated real-time transcription of podcast conversations with audio-quality alerts. Pokee and Halo ran a security-agent demo that monitors deepfakes during video conferences and responds immediately to threats. These demos were introduced as examples of a PC platform designed for people and AI agents to work together. Qualcomm said more than 7,300 applications are currently used on Snapdragon PCs.

Operating systems supported by Snapdragon PCs are also expanding. Dell and HP presented Googlebook laptops powered by Snapdragon X Elite. Googlebook is designed for Gemini Intelligence, runs Android apps natively and pulls photos and files from Snapdragon-based Android phones without waiting for transfers. The Magic Pointer feature brings up Gemini directly from the cursor to handle tasks such as combining images or creating schedules. The HP Googlebook 14 offers up to 19 hours of battery life, and Lenovo presented the Ideapad Vive.

As devices increase, distribution and adoption are also expanding. Qualcomm said more than 12,300 stores currently sell Snapdragon PCs, and more than 13,000 companies have adopted or are testing them. Qualcomm said the agentic AI era will not be created by a single company or a single device and depends on expanding partners across manufacturers, operating systems and applications. The new Surface models both support 5G as an optional feature and are due to be released from Oct. 13 in countries where Surface is sold.