CES 2014: Qualcomm CEO sees growth in wearables, autos

LAS VEGAS - Qualcomm CEO-elect Steve Mollenkopf said Monday that the chipmaker's mobile roots will help it expand into new, fast-growing consumer electronics sectors such as wearable gadgets and Internet-connected cars.

Much of the technology that goes into smartphones, where Qualcomm currently focuses, is needed to connect wearable devices such as smart watches and fitness wrist bands, to the cloud. Meanwhile, automakers are trying to connect cars, either to smartphones or directly to the Internet.

"All of the innovation that starts in mobile is bleeding in to new adjacencies," Mollenkopf said during a speech at the CES technology conference in Las Vegas. "For us that's a great opportunity."

Qualcomm elevated Mollenkopf to CEO - a position he officially takes on later this year - after the executive was reported to be a contender for the vacant CEO position at Microsoft.

Qualcomm has done well supplying chips to run smartphones, through its Snapdragon line. The company is expanding into cars and TVs. At CES, it unveiled new versions of its chips aimed at these large markets.

The connected car is one of the main trends at this year's CES. Mollenkopf said the first phase of this focuses on getting cars connected to the Internet. The second phase will connect cars to other vehicles, helping them sense what is going on around them and make decisions based on that data, he explained.

Such capabilities will need technology that's been developed for smartphones, such as computer vision, which involves processing images and other multi-dimensional information.

"The car industry is trying to do two things: Embrace new technology with high quality suppliers and embrace mobile for the first time," Mollenkopf said. "Qualcomm is the place I would go."

The executive declined to comment on his reported involvement in the Microsoft CEO search. However, he said that Qualcomm is optimistic about the future of the Windows ecosystem.

"Microsoft and Qualcomm have a strong relationship and we expect that to be stronger as they embrace more of the products that we focus on," Mollenkopf said.