Hardware constraints will shape how agents operate, emphasizing continuous background processing, contextual awareness, and fast, secure task execution.

Agentic operating systems will unify workflows, communications, and applications into a single anticipatory interface, improving efficiency and user experience.

Qualcomm positions itself as a key player with assets across edge devices and cloud infrastructure to drive the next phase of AI and agentic technology, signaling a rapid development timeline.

Agents will expand across wearables and personal AI devices, turning smartphones, smartwatches, earbuds, and similar devices into integrated personal AI ecosystems.

AI agents will necessitate diverse computing resources, leveraging on-device orchestration, on-device NPUs, and cloud-edge distribution to optimize cost and sustainability.

AI agents are poised to be the defining technological transformation of the next decade, representing a shift from prompt-based responses to autonomous action and coordination across devices, edge, and cloud.

The adoption and economics of AI are accelerating, with global AI spending reaching around $1.5 trillion in 2025 and expected to surpass $2 trillion in 2026, driven by increased token consumption and computing needs.

Agentic capabilities will enable tasks like planning trips, coordinating calendars, booking flights, and automating multi-step workflows across PCs and devices.

The hardware in devices will need to scale to support continuous background operation, context fusion from sensors, secure orchestration, and energy efficiency, prompting an upgrade cycle in silicon and software across device categories.

Platforms are integrating agents into operating systems across phones and PCs, with new agentic OSes from both major players and startups, and new form factors like smart glasses emerging.