Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said on June 16 that artificial intelligence agents will replace traditional mobile apps as the primary interface for computing. Amon made the comments to CNBC while revealing that Qualcomm has more than 40 new AI-powered device designs currently in development, including smart glasses, wearable pins, and camera-equipped earbuds.

Amon described a future where users no longer open and navigate individual apps. Instead, always-on AI agents understand human intention and act on it across services, removing the need for app grids entirely. He called 2026 “the year of agents.”

The new hardware form factors Qualcomm is working on include jewelry, watches, pins, and earbuds with cameras. These devices are built around the idea that the AI agent, rather than a screen, is the central interface. The company sees this as a fundamental shift away from the smartphone model that has defined personal computing for the past 15 years.

Qualcomm’s chips power the majority of Android smartphones globally, and the company is one of the main suppliers for AI personal computers. Its Snapdragon processors are central to both existing devices and the emerging wearable AI category.

The shift Amon describes carries significant implications for Apple and Google, whose business models depend heavily on app ecosystems and the stores that distribute them. If agents become the primary computing interface, the competitive battlefield moves from app libraries to on-device AI performance and chip architecture.

Other major chip companies, including Nvidia and Intel, have also made aggressive moves in AI hardware this year. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang opened VivaTech Paris this week with a keynote about AI factories and physical AI. The race for leadership in AI inference hardware is intensifying.

Qualcomm has seen growing demand for its Snapdragon X series chips in Windows AI PCs. The company reported strong quarterly results in May, driven partly by AI device adoption in enterprise and consumer markets. The 40-plus device pipeline suggests it expects that momentum to continue through the next hardware cycle.

The agent-first computing model is gaining acceptance across the industry. Microsoft has built its Copilot strategy around agents, and several app developers have begun restructuring their products to work as agent-compatible services rather than standalone applications.

Qualcomm’s full device lineup is expected to be detailed at upcoming industry events. According to CNBC, Amon gave the interview ahead of announcements planned for the second half of 2026, when several next-generation AI wearables are expected to launch.