British chip architecture developer Arm has accused American tech giant Qualcomm of violating a licensing agreement and is threatening to revoke its access to Arm’s technology. The conflict between these two long-time partners could have serious repercussions for the entire microelectronics industry.
The roots of this conflict go back to 2021, when Qualcomm acquired Nuvia, a startup specializing in high-performance processors. According to Arm, this acquisition violated the licensing agreement, as Qualcomm gained access to technologies developed by Nuvia that Arm believes should not have been transferred.
Arm claims that Qualcomm is illegally using the Oryon architecture, developed by Nuvia engineers, in its latest Snapdragon processors. In Arm’s view, this is a direct breach of the licensing agreement. However, Qualcomm argues that it has the full right to use the acquired technologies and considers Arm’s claims baseless.
For Qualcomm, losing access to Arm’s architecture could lead to significant financial losses. The company sells hundreds of millions of processors annually, used in smartphones, tablets, and other devices. Being stripped of its license to develop new processors would put its future at risk.
At the same time, Arm also stands to lose a major client. Qualcomm is one of Arm’s largest licensees, and losing such a client could negatively impact Arm’s financial results. This mutual dependence suggests that both companies may have to seek a resolution to the conflict.
The dispute between Arm and Qualcomm could have serious consequences for the entire microelectronics industry. If Arm revokes Qualcomm’s license, it could slow down the development of mobile processors and increase their costs. Additionally, other companies using Arm’s architecture may also find themselves at risk.
