Qualcomm Targets End-2026 for First Wi-Fi 8 Chips, With 4x4 Handset Radios

Qualcomm is on track to bring its first Wi-Fi 8 products to market at the end of 2026, with the rollout expanding the following year, according to a senior executive. The Financial Express reported the timeline on October 20, 2026.

Qualcomm's Wi-Fi 8 Radios and AI Gateways

Gautam Sheoran, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Connectivity, Broadband & Networking at Qualcomm, said the company is working with major OEM partners, including several existing Wi-Fi 7 partners, on the transition to Wi-Fi 8. "Wi-Fi 8 is going to start at the end of this year with the most aggressive device makers, and then it's going to expand in the next year," he said.

The technology is designed to improve network reliability, increase capacity and reduce latency, particularly as connected devices increasingly support simultaneous applications such as gaming, video streaming, remote work and Internet of Things services. For the first time, Qualcomm is putting a 4x4 Wi-Fi radio in its handset chips, and it is launching what it calls the industry's first 5x5 radio for access points. The extra antennas extend range and improve stability, and the company has also worked on cutting power consumption, Sheoran said.

Qualcomm is integrating AI engines into network gateways to classify applications and traffic, allowing networks to prioritise bandwidth and maintain quality of service for latency-sensitive applications. The company is also working on network anomaly detection, troubleshooting and security applications. "Every house has a gateway that provides you internet access. And that's typically been a black box or a white box, getting data in, sending data out, not a lot of intelligence," Sheoran said, adding that this is an area where the company expects rapid change.

On top of this sits Qualcomm's Dragonwing Network AI suite, which classifies traffic, applications and devices, Sheoran said. The company seeks to develop in-home sensing and security features. "Edge security, especially in the gateways, is going to become more and more important," he said, adding that hacking is getting easier. India is a major base for Qualcomm's chip and software development, Sheoran said, calling the talent base and the volume of work extremely integral.

Qualcomm's Data Center and AI Deals

Qualcomm's recent company records show a June 2026 strategic multi-year, multi-generation agreement with Meta Platforms to supply Qualcomm Dragonfly C1000 CPUs for Meta's next-generation data center server fleet, with production scheduled for H2 2028, according to akta.pro company records. The same records list a June 2026 comprehensive Dragonfly data center portfolio including the C1000 CPU, High Bandwidth Compute architecture, AI300 inference accelerator and connectivity products targeting AI inference at hyperscale, and an agreement to acquire AI software startup Modular in an approximately $3.92 billion all-stock transaction expected to close H2 2026.

Qualcomm's Earlier Licensing and AI Moves

Qualcomm renewed its global patent licensing deal with Transsion Holdings in October 2026, covering 4G and 5G mobile devices through 2031, Telecompaper reported. Huawei and Qualcomm announced a multi-year patent license agreement covering cross licenses across 5G, compute, AI and networking, plus Qualcomm's purchase of certain Huawei U.S. patents, Lankatalks reported. Qualcomm is also seeking deeper AI cooperation with Chinese partners, citing China's industrial system and application scenarios, EIN Presswire reported.