AI Companies Have Targeted Smartphone Development

Tech firms are aiming to integrate massive AI models directly into mobile devices by 2028.

Updated on Oct. 12, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence

AI Companies Have Targeted Smartphone Development

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Artificial intelligence companies have begun pursuing the development of proprietary smartphones capable of running advanced AI models. These firms are working with hardware providers to enable the continuous operation of powerful software in the background of mobile devices.

Why it matters

The shift toward purpose-built AI hardware aims to facilitate the execution of 100-billion-parameter models directly on handsets. This development could fundamentally alter how users interact with AI assistants by removing reliance on cloud processing for complex tasks.

Developers are aiming to create devices with the processing power to run 100-billion-parameter AI models continuously. This architecture targets a significant increase in local compute requirements compared to current industry standards.

The players

Cristiano Amon

He is the chief executive officer of Qualcomm who confirmed that AI companies are seeking to build custom mobile hardware.

OpenAI

This is an artificial intelligence research organization that has been linked to the development of new smartphone and wearable device concepts.

Qualcomm

This is a global semiconductor and telecommunications equipment company that provides the chip technology necessary for advanced mobile computing.

The details

Qualcomm is currently engaged in discussions with these AI developers to address the demanding hardware requirements of their proposed devices. Reports indicate that OpenAI is among the companies exploring the creation of proprietary smartphones and other AI-focused wearable technologies.

AI companies have set 2028 as the target year to achieve the capability of running 100-billion-parameter models on smartphones.

The Tech Race

The move to integrate the 100-billion-parameter AI model into mobile hardware marks a shift away from cloud-dependent computing toward localized, high-performance edge devices. This positions companies to compete with incumbents by creating a dedicated vertical for AI-native consumer electronics.

Future smartphones could provide users with more responsive, private AI interactions that function without a constant internet connection. Consumers may eventually see specialized devices that prioritize extreme processing capabilities over traditional features like camera sensors or thin form factors.

The takeaway

The move toward custom hardware suggests that the future of mobile AI will rely on locally processed data rather than cloud servers. Users should monitor these hardware milestones to understand when consumer devices will truly handle complex, large-scale computational tasks.