Qualcomm

Qualcomm Incorporated is a U.S.-based semiconductor and wireless technology company headquartered in San Diego, California. The company is recognized for its Snapdragon processors, 5G technologies, mobile platforms, automotive chips, and AI-enabled edge computing. Due to its extensive operations, including offices, facilities, data centers, and manufacturing-related supply chains, water use is a significant factor in Qualcomm's ESG performance.

A notable water sustainability achievement for Qualcomm is its water management initiatives at the Hyderabad facility in India. In 2025, the site implemented water conservation practices aimed at reducing freshwater dependence and enhancing reuse efficiency. These initiatives included utilizing softener-plant water in secondary treatment processes, expanding rainwater harvesting, collecting and storing stormwater, using HVAC condensate, and installing washbasin aerators. As a result, the facility achieved 72% water reuse efficiency and reduced per capita water consumption to 38 liters per person per day, which is below the National Building Code standard of 45 liters.

Qualcomm also highlighted a broader India-based water technology initiative through Nimble Vision's AI platform, Ni-The Water Saviour. This platform employs IoT and vision-based technology to monitor water conservation, quality, and usability for communities, industries, and smart cities. Over six years, the technology enabled more than 300 homes, over 20 apartment complexes, and two municipalities to conserve more than four billion liters of water. This example demonstrates how Qualcomm's AI and IoT technologies can enhance water management beyond its own facilities.

At its San Diego headquarters, Qualcomm reported substantial use of reclaimed water. Approximately 75% of the water used at the headquarters is non-potable reclaimed water, which reduces reliance on potable water for applications such as irrigation and cooling plant systems.

Qualcomm's water impact is also linked to edge AI. According to a study reported by the company, running AI inference on a smartphone equipped with a Snapdragon processor can reduce water consumption by up to 96% compared to executing the same workloads on hyperscale cloud servers. These findings indicate that decentralized AI processing may significantly reduce the indirect water footprint associated with data center-based computing.