Qualcomm Fights to Prove Its 5G and Edge Computing Potential Amid AI Dominance

As of November 11th, 2025, Qualcomm (QCOM) finds itself in a precarious position. Once hailed as a great 5G technology stock, the company has failed to live up to the initial hype. Now, with AI dominating the tech landscape, Qualcomm faces a new challenge: convincing Wall Street that it has a strong AI-powered future.

In the past, Qualcomm's legal feud with Apple (AAPL) was largely responsible for the negative sentiment surrounding the company. However, even after resolving those issues, Qualcomm continues to operate in the shadows of AI powerhouses like Nvidia (NVDA), Broadcom (AVGO), and AMD (AMD).

Despite these challenges, Qualcomm has no shortage of quality products and a robust product pipeline. The company is working on bringing AI to edge devices, a concept known as "edge" computing. It recently announced the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, which integrates the CPU, GPU, and memory onto a single chip, designed specifically for mobile devices. Additionally, Qualcomm's Snapdragon Digital Chassis platform is poised to play a significant role in defining the future of fully software-defined vehicles, helping the company tap into multiple segments of the automotive industry.

Qualcomm is also exploring expansion through strategic acquisitions, with the recent acquisition of Alphawave IP Group being a prime example. This deal, expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026, will give Qualcomm access to Alphawave's chiplet interconnect technologies, which are crucial for AI workloads and high-performance computing (HPC).