Qualcomm learning how to incubate new technologies

March 12, 2013

Qualcomm has a big, well-funded research and development operation, but its program for commercializing new innovations is still a learning experience for the wireless chip maker. Qualcomm Labs was set up about two and a half years ago to explore ways to bring new technologies into the world. Despite its name, the division isn’t where Qualcomm actually does its core research and development, an effort that commanded nearly US$1 billion of investment in fiscal 2012, about 20 percent of the company’s revenue. Instead, Qualcomm Labs is an incubator for ideas that might lead to more revenue in the future. At a media event on Friday in San Francisco, company executives talked about a handful of technologies that Qualcomm Labs has helped along. One, LTE broadcast, is designed to make better use of mobile operators’ spectrum and improve streaming media performance. Another, called Gimbal, creates a “digital sixth sense” to give mobile applications greater contextual awareness. Stephen Lawson/IDGNSPeggy Johnson, an executive vice president at Qualcomm and president of global market development at the company, spoke on Friday at a press briefing in San Francisco.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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