Meta Platforms signed a deal for Qualcomm to make custom chips for Quest virtual reality devices, both companies announced at IFA in Berlin on Friday.
Engineers from both companies will work together to produce the chips. They already have worked together on VR tech for more than seven years, including for Meta Quest 2.
The new agreement “solidifies the mutual commitment to deliver multiple generations of premium devices and experiences powered by customer VR platforms in years to come,” the companies said in a statement. Terms of the deal were not divulged.
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said the deal will allow the companies to “deliver best-in-class devices and experiences to transform how we work, play, learn, create and connect in a fully realized metaverse.”
The customized VR chipset will be powered by Snapdragon XR technology for Meta’s future roadmap of Quest products, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. “Unlike mobile phones, building virtual realty brings novel, multi-dimensional challenges in spatial computing, cost and form factor,” Zuckerberg said in a statement.
The chipsets created from the collaboration will not be exclusive to Meta, but will be optimized for Quest specifications, Meta spokesperson Tyler Yee told Reuters. Meta plans to continue working on development of its own chips, Yee added.
“There could be situations where we use off-the-shelf silicon or work with industry partners on customizations, while also exploring our own novel silicon,” Yee told Reuters. “There could also be scenarios where we use both [partner and custom solutions in the same product.”