Qualcomm Cleared in $1.4B Nuvia Deal; Jury Finds No Breach of Arm Licenses

Dec 20, 2024, 09:35 PM

Qualcomm prevailed in a legal battle against Arm Holdings over chip licensing rights, with a US federal jury in Delaware finding that Qualcomm did not breach Nuvia's license agreement with Arm when it acquired the startup in 2021 for $1.4 billion. During the trial, it was revealed that Qualcomm's CEO told the board that purchasing Nuvia could save $1.4 billion per year. The jury determined that Qualcomm's custom CPUs are licensed under its existing deal with Arm. The verdict allows Qualcomm to continue selling its Snapdragon X processors based on Nuvia's designs. However, the jury was deadlocked on whether Nuvia breached its license agreement with Arm after being acquired by Qualcomm, leading to a mistrial on that count. The judge has asked both parties to mediate, noting that neither side has a clear victory if the case is tried again. Arm expressed disappointment with the verdict and intends to seek a retrial.