Qualcomm developed the Snapdragon family of mobile processors.
Snapdragon is Qualcomm’s branded system-on-chip platform, combining components such as a central processing unit, graphics processor, modem, and image-processing hardware. Smartphone manufacturers use Snapdragon chips across flagship, mid-range, and entry-level devices.
Qualcomm was founded in 1985 in San Diego, California, by Irwin Jacobs and six other co-founders. The company became especially influential through research and patents related to CDMA wireless technology, which helped shape modern cellular networks. Its licensing business and semiconductor division both contribute to its importance in the technology industry.
Snapdragon is sometimes confused with ARM, the company whose instruction-set architecture is licensed by many chip designers. MediaTek also makes competing smartphone chips, while Broadcom produces a different range of networking and communications semiconductors. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon branding specifically identifies Qualcomm’s own processor platforms.