Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chips power most of the flagship Android phones we love, but a brewing legal fight with Arm could change that landscape. Up until now, Qualcomm has used Arm’s reference CPU cores with some tweaks for better performance in its Snapdragon chips. But after buying Nuvia in 2021—a move aimed at boosting its custom CPU development—Qualcomm has introduced the Snapdragon 8 Elite, featuring its custom Oryon CPU cores. That’s where things get messy with Arm.
Arm’s Issue with Qualcomm’s Nuvia Deal
Nuvia had its own licensing agreement with Arm, allowing the startup to create custom CPU cores based on Arm’s instruction set. But Arm wasn’t happy, when Qualcomm bought Nuvia, . They believe the license transfer happened without their consent, violating their agreement. So, in 2022, Arm sued Qualcomm, demanding that they destroy the intellectual property related to Nuvia’s Arm-based designs.
Now, with Qualcomm launching its Oryon-based SoC, Arm has stepped up its game. According to Bloomberg, Arm has issued a 60-day notice to cancel Qualcomm’s architectural license. If that goes through, Qualcomm would no longer be allowed to sell chips that use both Arm’s instruction set and their custom Oryon cores—like the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Snapdragon X Elite—unless Qualcomm bows to Arm’s demands.
Qualcomm Isn’t Backing Down
Qualcomm’s not taking this quietly. In response, a Qualcomm spokesperson slammed Arm’s actions, calling it “more unfounded threats” to pressure them for higher royalties. They believe Arm’s claim is baseless and aimed at disrupting the upcoming trial, which is scheduled for December. Qualcomm is confident that their agreement with Arm will hold up in court.
The RISC-V Backup Plan
This tension with Arm is one reason Qualcomm is turning to the open-source RISC-V architecture. In collaboration with Google, Qualcomm announced in October 2023 that they’re working on a new RISC-V Snapdragon platform, starting with wearables for Google’s Wear OS. So, while Arm keeps up the pressure, Qualcomm is clearly hedging its bets on alternative architectures.
As this legal drama unfolds, it’s clear that both Arm and Qualcomm have a lot at stake, and the outcome could have major implications for the future of Android chipsets. Keep your popcorn ready.
