Qualcomm Technologies announced the Snapdragon Scalable Turnkey AI-Ready Toolkit (START) at Augmented World Expo. The program combines hardware modules powered by Snapdragon platforms with an AI-agnostic full software stack and a network of manufacturing partners.
Snapdragon START enables brands, enterprise organizations, and emerging innovators to design and scale personal AI devices, beginning with smart glasses. Additional form factors are planned later this year. Global eyewear company Inspecs is the first partner to collaborate exclusively with Qualcomm Technologies to bring smart glasses to market across multiple eyewear brands, including licensed brands such as Barbour, CAT, Superdry, O’Neill, and its premium brand TitanFlex.
The hardware modules integrate advanced compute, connectivity, and AI into a compact wearable footprint. The software stack connects devices with companion smartphone apps and cloud services to support hybrid AI experiences and provides access to leading AI models.
“AI is becoming more personal, it is designed to work with you, your context, and what you’re doing in the moment,” said Ziad Asghar, Senior Vice President and General Manager of XR, Wearables and Personal AI at Qualcomm Technologies. “Personal AI devices, including smart glasses, help bring agentic AI to life, by seeing what you see and hearing what you hear.”
The program is supported by an ecosystem of partners including Applied Materials, Avegant, Jorjin, Pegatron, and Thundercomm.
“Our customers already trust Inspecs for great design, comfort, and quality,” said Robin Totterman, founder and executive chairman of Inspecs. “Partnering with Qualcomm Technologies allows us to redefine what eyewear can be.”
“Each customer has unique needs to integrate the technologies that create great smart glasses, which deliver compelling user experiences,” said Paul Meissner, Vice President and General Manager of Applied Materials’ Photonics Platforms Business.
“Snapdragon START lowers the barrier for brands to bring smart glasses to market at scale,” said Ali Mesri, Sr. Vice President, North America, Thundercomm.
For more information, visit the Snapdragon START webpage.
