The Financial Post reports in its Friday edition that Qualcomm shares jumped after the chipmaker forecast annual sales of more than $15-billion from AI components in data centres by fiscal 2029 (all figures U.S.). A Bloomberg dispatch to the Post says Qualcomm projected annual revenue of $40-billion for its businesses other than handsets by 2029, which doubles a previous long-range forecast from two years ago. The outlook announced Wednesday at Qualcomm's investor day in New York includes $10-billion in sales from chips for the auto industry. The shares gained as much as 11 per cent Thursday morning in New York. This year Qualcomm's gains have lagged a general rally by chip stocks as investors concentrated on names more closely associated with spending on AI components. Qualcomm's new priority is to win business from the biggest investors in data centre gear, joining the competition to cut into Nvidia's lead in what has become the most lucrative opportunity in the history of the semiconductor industry. People in China are showing the way by using AI more naturally with their phones and interacting with their devices to perform multistage tasks -- such as rescheduling meetings -- simply by talking to the handsets.