2026 Predictions from Alpahwave Semi, now part of Qualcomm

Tony Chan Carusone, Chief Technology Officer at Alphawave Semi, examines three critical shifts reshaping AI infrastructure in 2026. As the industry moves beyond the race for raw computing power, Chan Carusone identifies fundamental changes in how AI systems are designed, deployed, and scaled. He explores why power consumption is overtaking chip performance as the primary constraint, how AI clusters are expanding beyond single data centers into metro-scale networks, and why chiplet technology is transitioning from experimental to essential. This analysis reveals how the next generation of AI infrastructure will prioritize efficiency, geographic distribution, and modular design over traditional metrics.