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Arm vs. Qualcomm Marks the End of an Era

Throughout its evolution Arm made a point for never competing with its customers. But taking Qualcomm to court – win or lose – is a form of competition, and marks the end of an era for what Arm used to stand up for.
Arm vs.Qualcomm Marks the End of an Era

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By Peter Clarke

What’s at stake:
Access to Arm’s processor architecture is fundamental to Qualcomm’s business and has put it in a position to supply chipsets for the next generation of AI-enabled computers and Android smartphones. Therefore, a dispute between the companies is important to Microsoft and Samsung and numerous other PC and smartphone companies in their battles with Apple.

Going to court would not end Qualcomm Inc.’s endeavors immediately – technology-based legal disputes notoriously take years if not decades to resolve – but it would inhibit customer engagement and accelerate a transition to alternatives such as AI-forward architectures with RISC-V processors used for house-keeping.

And there is much at stake for Arm: Qualcomm’s revenue is one thing but more importantly is the idea of Arm as a benign third-party supplier of processor IP for many.


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