Qualcomm is making it easier for hardware makers to build personal AI devices. The company launched the Snapdragon Scalable Turnkey AI-Ready Toolkit (START) program at AWE 2026. The program combines hardware modules, a software stack, and a partner ecosystem to speed up development.
Program targets smart glasses first
The first focus of the START program is smart glasses. Inspecs is the first exclusive partner for this category. Other partners include Applied Materials, Avegant, Jorjin, Pegatron, and Thundercomm.
Ziad Asghar, Qualcomm's senior vice president, said AI is becoming more personal and works around the user's context and actions. He noted that personal AI devices like smart glasses bring agentic AI closer to the user, seeing and hearing what they do.
Robin Totterman, CEO of Inspecs, said the company is known for design, comfort, and quality in eyewear. He added that partnering with Qualcomm allows them to redefine what's possible with eyewear.
The program aims to provide a turnkey solution for OEMs to create AI-powered devices. Qualcomm did not disclose pricing or availability details for the program. The Snapdragon START program was announced at AWE 2026.
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