Hybrid AI: The Next-Generation Technology Shaping the Future of AI
-
In recent years, generative AI has demonstrated immense development potential at an unprecedented pace and scale. As a bridge connecting numerous life scenarios, smart terminals have undoubtedly become a key enabler for unleashing the potential of AI technology and driving digital productivity.
"On-device AI is critical to realizing hybrid AI architectures and expanding generative AI to a broader global scale," said Hou Mingjuan, Senior Vice President of Qualcomm.
The collaboration between the cloud and smart devices such as smartphones, cars, PCs, and IoT terminals enables more powerful, efficient, and highly optimized AI. Unlike processing solely in the cloud, hybrid AI architectures distribute and coordinate AI workloads between the cloud and edge devices.
Additionally, hybrid AI allows generative AI developers and providers to leverage the computing power of edge devices to reduce costs. Hybrid AI architectures or on-device AI also offer global advantages in performance, personalization, privacy, and security.
At the 2023 China International Fair for Trade in Services, Qualcomm released an AI white paper titled Hybrid AI is the Future of AI. Xu Hao, Head of R&D at Qualcomm China, elaborated on the leading advantages of hybrid AI architectures and how on-device AI will empower the scalable expansion of generative AI.
He noted that globally, billions of smart devices are already equipped with Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms. Qualcomm began investing in AI research in 2007 and has now introduced its eighth-generation AI engine, progressively integrating the latest algorithms and capabilities into each iteration to make efficient AI ubiquitous.
Furthermore, hybrid AI architectures will drive AI adoption across industries, delivering enhanced user experiences in sectors like automotive, IoT, and XR. Driven by this trend, on-device AI will become a standard feature in many critical platforms, opening vast opportunities for innovation in connected devices.