Qualcomm, Universal Scientific Industrial (Shanghai) and Asustek Computer have announced jointly the commercial launch of new Asustek smartphones that utilize Qualcomm's cellular system-in-package (SiP) technology in Brazil.

The new Asus Zenfone Max Shot and Zenfone Max Plus (M2) are the world's first smartphones with the Qualcomm Snapdragon SiP, according to the joint statement. The Qualcomm Snapdragon SiP is the result of an ongoing collaboration between Qualcomm, USI and Brazil federal government, who have been working together to lay the foundation and foster the growth of the semiconductor industry in Brazil.

The first commercial multi-chip semiconductor designed in Brazil, Snapdragon SiP is engineered to help enable design efficiencies, reduce development costs and accelerate time to commercialization for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), according to the firms.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon SiP integrates many components normally part of the company's Snapdragon mobile platforms, including the application processor, power management, RF front end, and audio codec, into a single semiconductor system in package, leading to more space for additional components such as cameras or battery, as well as thinner form factors. These products are designed to help simplify the device engineering and manufacturing processes and provide cost and development time savings to OEMs and IoT device manufacturers.

"Snapdragon SiP is designed to offer the connectivity, security and accessibility that our customers need to create innovative products and superior user experiences, and I am proud to see the first Snapdragon SiP devices become available in the country of Brazil from ASUS," said Qualcomm Cristiano Amon in the statement.

During the launch event of the new mobile devices, joint venture Semicondutores Avancados do Brasil, formed by Qualcomm and USI, announced that Jaguariuna in Sao Paulo is the city where the Snapdragon SiP factory is expected to be built. This production is expected to begin in 2020 and should employ between 800 and 1,000 people with an estimated investment of US$200 million over the next five years.

In February 2018, Qualcomm and USI signed an agreement to form a joint venture in San Paulo to focus on an installation of a semiconductor module facility locally dedicated to the design, development and fabrication of SiP modules and components for smartphones and IoT devices in Brazil.