Feed aggregator

Chip giant Qualcomm is launching new Snapdragon silicon aimed at entry-level laptops, right in the midst of a memory supply crunch that will make it very difficult for any vendors to hit the target $300 starting price. The San Diego-based biz is adding to its line-up of Arm-based system-on-chip (SoC) processors with the Snapdragon C platform. This is designed to power entry-tier laptops targeting buyers such as students, families, and small businesses, with a starting price stated as "about $300 or so." Qualcomm started its push into the Windows laptop market a couple of years ago, with its Snapdragon X Elite and Snapdragon X Plus chips. Many of these were priced around $600. It was aided by Microsoft, which was trying to promote the "Copilot+ PC" brand for Windows 11 systems that feature a built-in neural processor (NPU) for AI tasks. The firm unveiled new additions, the Snapdragon X2 Plus chips for budget and mainstream systems, at the CES trade show earlier this year. "With Snapdragon C, we're now raising the bar of what budget-conscious laptop buyers should expect," said senior director of product management Mandar Deshpande, promising all-day battery life, lag-free performance, and fanless, cool-running designs. Qualcomm is curiously tight-lipped about the chip's specifications, declining to disclose CPU core count or GPU details. Deshpande confirmed only that the cores are a custom design based on the Kryo architecture from its smartphone chips rather than the Oryon cores used in its higher-end laptop silicon. A full spec sheet is expected and may land as early as next week when vendor partners unveil products at Computex in Taipei. Snapdragon C includes an integrated NPU, though Deshpande said this "is not built to scale up to the Copilot+ requirements," something budget buyers are unlikely to lose sleep over. They may, however, lose sleep over memory prices. DRAM component costs have more than quadrupled since this time last year, and some analysts predict entry-level systems could effectively disappear as a result. "Because the price of memory is increasing so much, vendors lose the ability to provide entry-level PCs – those below about $500," Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal told The Register. On the $300 price point, Deshpande claimed that "everyone is interested in buying laptops at this price." "There is a lot of momentum still in the lower tier price points, given how things are turning out for the memories and everything. So it's a great opportunity for Qualcomm to bring all the great technology that we have built for the Snapdragon X, and again make it a purpose-built platform for the entry user." That said, Qualcomm doesn't set the price of systems – the PC makers do. Deshpande said that products from HP, Lenovo, and Acer will be "launching soon," and are expected to hit shelves later this year. ®

This post is updated throughout the day to reflect the latest incidents. It was last updated at 7:01 a.m..

Here’s what’s happening on the roads this morning…

▼︎ new incidents   ▼︎ long-term incidents

Road incidents as of 7 a.m. on May 28

• A big rig jackknifed and hit an oak tree, blocking all lanes at the transition from northbound Highway 1 to northbound Highway 17 (the Fishhook) near the onramp to northbound Highway 17 in the Eastside / Live Oak area. No one was hurt. Traffic was moved to the right side so a tow truck could get through. Caltrans was called for a possible closure and to remove the tree. The incident was reported today.
   
• A semi truck spun out while trying to make a U-turn at Highway 1 S and Bay Porter in Capitola / Soquel at 5:26 a.m. today. The truck ended up against the wall, scraping about 20 feet of the K-rail. There was smoke from the main cabin and a possible fuel spill of around 20 gallons. No one was hurt. The incident caused lane closures and brought out fire crews and Caltrans.
   
• There is a traffic break and closure on Highway 17 in both directions at Mt Hermon/Glen Canyon in Scotts Valley because of utility work. This closure is expected to last until 10:30 a.m. on May 31.
   
• There are alternating lane closures on both northbound and southbound Highway 9 at Pool Drive in San Lorenzo Valley because of bridge work. The closures will continue until 6:59 a.m. on April 30, 2027.
   
• There is a one-way traffic closure on Highway 9 at Cascade Avenue in San Lorenzo Valley because of ongoing work. The closure is expected to end at 7:01 a.m. on August 31.
   
• South Highway 1 at Park Avenue in Capitola / Soquel is facing closures for roadway excavation. The closure is expected to end at 7:01 a.m. on August 19.
   
• A lane on North Highway 17 at Granite Creek Road in Scotts Valley is closed for utility work. The closure will last until 6:01 a.m. on May 31.
   
• A lane is closed on westbound SR-152 at Beck Street in Watsonville / Pajaro for curb, gutter, and sidewalk work. The closure will end at 2:59 p.m. today.
   
• A traffic hazard was reported today in the southbound lane at El Rancho Dr and Carbonera Dr in the Eastside / Live Oak area. Road crews were notified and may need a chainsaw to clear the hazard.
   
• A traffic hazard was reported at the intersection of Highway 17 and Sims Rd in the Eastside / Live Oak area at 6:53 a.m. today. The incident involved a single vehicle, but it was not a collision. The hazard was described as a part on the offramp.
   

Long-term projects

These have been going on for a while, but are still worth keeping in mind.

• Roadwork by KIM Corporation is happening on Alameda Ave., Berkeley Way, Fern St., Riverside Rd, and Larkspur St. in San Lorenzo Valley as part of the 2026 Pavement Management Project. Some roads will have partial or full closures at different spots.
   
• Roadwork will be taking place on Irwin Way in San Lorenzo Valley as part of the 2026 Pavement Management Project. This will cause both partial and full road closures in different areas.
   
• Main St. will be completely closed at 9460 Central Ave. in Ben Lomond, San Lorenzo Valley from May 29 to May 30 during work hours while crews replace a pole anchor and span guy.
   

Disclosure: Traffic incidents are partially generated by artificial intelligence. We are constantly working to improve the accuracy and quality of our AI-generated content. However, there may still be errors or inaccuracies. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us.

The post Thursday morning traffic: Big rig crash blocks Hwy 1/17 Fishhook; lane closures appeared first on Lookout Santa Cruz.