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Qualcomm wants to be the chip inside whatever replaces your smartphone, and it just announced two products toward that end

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Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said Tuesday that the company is working on over 40 different AI wearable devices — including jewelry, earbuds with cameras, pins, and watches — a sign of how aggressively the chipmaker is betting that the next major computing platform won’t be a phone at all.

To power that vision, Qualcomm is announcing two new offerings: a platform called Snapdragon Reality Elite for mixed reality glasses, designed to run more powerful on-device AI, and the Scalable Turnkey AI-Ready Toolkit (START), a combination of hardware modules and a software stack for AI devices, starting with smart glasses.

Compared to its previous XR platform, the new Snapdragon Reality Elite delivers improvements of up to 60% in GPU performance, up to 30% in CPU performance, and up to 160% in NPU performance, according to the company. Percentage gains in chip specs can be hard to contextualize, but Qualcomm offers one concrete data point, saying the platform can run a 3-billion-parameter language model at 45 tokens per second — fast enough for quick, responsive AI interactions. Qualcomm says the chip will also enable better head and hand tracking, along with improved see-through capabilities.

The Snapdragon Reality Elite supports 4.4K per-eye resolution at 90 fps, a modest bump from the XR2+ Gen 2’s 4.3K per-eye resolution. (The higher the per-eye resolution and frame rate, the sharper and smoother the visual experience, which matters most for reducing the motion sickness and eye strain that’ve historically made extended headset use uncomfortable.)

Qualcomm says the platform is designed to power two types of devices: standalone video-see-through (VST) headsets, which layer digital content over a camera feed of the real world, and lightweight, tethered optical-see-through (OST) glasses, which blend digital imagery directly into your field of view. Among the first devices to use it: XREAL Project Aura, shown at Google I/O earlier this year, and an upcoming device from Play for Dream.

START, meanwhile, consists of an AR chip, a software platform, companion apps, and a white-label program aimed at helping hardware makers get to market faster. Through the white label program, the company is offering three reference designs: an audio + camera setup similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, a monocular display, and a binocular display.

Eyewear manufacturers Inspecs and O’Neill — owned by TitanFlex — will be among the first partners in the white label program. Qualcomm said START will expand beyond smart glasses to support other form factors in the future.

Amon’s comments, made to CNBC, flesh out the strategic logic behind both announcements. He argued that as companies seek to gather more real-world data from users to power their AI agents, a new wave of hardware startups building novel form factors will emerge, with major implications for established smartphone players like Apple and Samsung.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of experimentation with different form factors,” Amon said. “Right now, we have over 40 designs of those devices, and I’m telling you, the types of form factors are very, very broad.” He added that, “The principle is something that you wear, something [that] is with you all the time, something that can see the world around you, so you have context and have the ability for you to access an agent and talk to the agent.”

To that end, Qualcomm is explicitly positioning itself as the foundational silicon layer for whatever comes after the smartphone. START’s white-label program, in particular, is designed to lower the barrier for new entrants.

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Nigerian Striker Toyosi Olusanya Completes Permanent Move to Aberdeen on Two-Year Deal

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Scottish Premiership club Aberdeen have secured the permanent signing of London-born Nigerian striker Toyosi Olusanya, with the forward committing his future to the club on a two-year contract after an impressive loan spell.

READ ALSO: Isaac John Turns Heads at Ex-Internationals Cup in Lagos, Declares Himself Ready for the Big Stage 

Sports247 reports that the 28-year-old joins the Dons as a free agent following the expiration of his contract with Major League Soccer side Houston Dynamo. His arrival marks another key addition to manager Stephen Robinson’s rebuilding project ahead of the new season.

Olusanya spent the second half of the previous campaign on loan at Aberdeen, where he quickly adapted to life in Scottish football.

During his stint, he made 18 appearances across all competitions and contributed three goal involvements, earning the confidence of the coaching staff and convincing the club to pursue a permanent deal.

The striker’s work rate, physical presence, and attacking versatility made him a valuable option during his loan spell, and Aberdeen will be hoping he can build on that foundation as they prepare for the challenges of the upcoming Premiership campaign.

His signing represents the fifth addition to Robinson’s squad during the summer transfer window as the club continues to strengthen its roster with an eye on domestic success and improved performances across all competitions.

Born in London and eligible to represent Nigeria, Olusanya has enjoyed a career spanning English football and Major League Soccer before making the move north of the border.

The permanent transfer offers him the opportunity to continue his development in a familiar environment after settling into the team during his loan period.

For Aberdeen, retaining a player who already understands the club’s style and expectations provides continuity as they reshape the squad for the new season.

Supporters will be eager to see the Nigerian forward translate his promising displays into consistent goals and assists over the course of the campaign.

With his future now secured at Pittodrie, Olusanya begins the next chapter of his career aiming to establish himself as a key figure in Aberdeen’s attack and help the club compete strongly in the Scottish Premiership.

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Enugu Air, airport concession to support state’s $30bn economy goal — official

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Enugu State is counting on its new airline and the concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, enugu, to support its plan of growing the state’s economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion by 2031, the Secretary to the State Government, Chidiebere Onyia, said on Tuesday.

Mr Onyia spoke during the Renewed Hope Media Tour of the airport, where he outlined how the state government’s plans to use aviation, tourism, and agriculture to drive economic growth.

According to him, the airport concession is part of a broader strategy by Governor Peter Mbah’s administration to re-position Enugu as a major economic hub in the South-east.

“We looked at Enugu as an economic hub where tourism, hospitality, investment and aviation can work together to drive growth,” he said.

Mr Onyia said the state expects an increase in visitor traffic in the coming years and believes air transport will play an important role in supporting that growth.

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He explained that the government’s projections are linked to plans to attract tourists, investors and businesses to the state.

According to him, depending entirely on commercial airlines could limit the state’s ability to move people into Enugu efficiently.

That, he said, informed the decision to establish Enugu Air.

“If we’re expecting people to come into Enugu, then we can’t depend solely on third-party airlines based on their schedules,” he said.

Mr Onyia disclosed that Enugu Air has six aircraft, describing it as the first phase of the project.

The state government also expects the aviation project to support tourism development.

Mr Onyia said efforts are ongoing to revitalise tourist sites across the state, including attractions expected to draw more visitors to Enugu.

He said that improved access to the state would complement investments in tourism and hospitality by making it easier for visitors to travel to various destinations.

“If people are going to come here for tourism, they need to be able to get into Enugu, and when they get into Enugu, we’ll need places for them to visit,” he said.

He also noted that the airport infrastructure will also support the state’s agricultural development plans through cargo operations.

According to him, the cargo terminal will make it easier to move goods and agricultural produce within and outside the state, creating more opportunities for businesses and investors.

“This is also going to help our agricultural investment outlook because this is where the cargo terminal will be, where we can move things in and out of the state,” he said.

He added that the government’s vision is to use aviation infrastructure to strengthen trade and economic activities across the region.

Private sector-led approach

Mr Onyia said the state adopted a private sector-driven model for the airline and airport projects to ensure efficiency and sustainability.

According to him, professionals with industry experience have been involved in developing the airline and setting up its governance structure.

He said the approach is intended to avoid challenges often associated with direct government management of commercial enterprises.

READ ALSO: ENSSAA to begin enforcement against unauthorised outdoor advertisements across Enugu State

Providing an update on the airport concession process, Mr Onyia said October has been set as the timeline for the next phase of activities.

He explained that the current stage marks an important milestone in the project and will allow concessionaires and contractors to begin work at the site.

Mr Onyia also acknowledged the support of President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Ministry of Aviation in advancing the project.

According to him, federal approvals helped move the initiative from the planning stage to implementation.

The concession of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport followed approval by the Federal Executive Council as part of efforts to attract private investment into airport infrastructure.

In January, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, signed a concession agreement with Aero Alliance for the operation of the airport.

Under the arrangement, ownership of the airport remains with the Federal Government, while the concessionaire will operate, maintain, and upgrade the facility.

The project has attracted public attention in recent months as the Federal Government and Enugu State continue efforts to re-position the airport as a major gateway for business, tourism and trade in the South-east.


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