April 10 (Reuters) - Specs, the Snap smart

glasses unit formed early this year, will use Qualcomm ( QCOM ) chips for

its upcoming devices under a multi-year deal announced on

Friday, marking its first major move.

The Specs smart glasses launching later this year will use

the Snapdragon XR processor platform, the two companies said on

Friday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The deal builds on a years-long tie-up that has seen

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) chips power multiple previous generations of

Snap's developer-focused smart glasses called Spectacles.

Snap established its Specs unit in January to compete with

Meta, whose Ray-Ban AI smart glasses developed with

EssilorLuxottica have become one of the few

breakthrough successes in the race for AI-powered gadgets.

The Specs unit aims to provide more independence to the team

that is working on smart glasses and also opens room for

external investment, the Snapchat-parent has said.

Friday's announcement comes after activist investor Irenic

Capital Management, which disclosed an economic interest of

about 2.5% in Snap's Class A shares, last week pushed the

company to either spin off or shutter its Specs unit and cut

costs.