Qualcomm announced on Tuesday the acquisition of Arduino , an Italian company known for producing low-cost programmable printed circuit boards. The company, which will become an independent subsidiary of the U.S. giant, represents a strategic step in Qualcomm’s plan to strengthen its presence in the robotics and Internet of Things (IoT) sectors.
The economic value of the transaction has not been made public.
The acquisition allows Qualcomm to gain direct access to the grassroots community of makers, hobbyists, and robotics startups. Arduino products, while not intended for commercial use, are essential tools for prototyping and experimenting with new ideas due to their simplicity and accessibility.
According to Nakul Duggal , Qualcomm general manager of automotive, industrial and embedded IoT, the partnership will enable developers to start with prototypes and then move to commercial production, an area in which Qualcomm has extensive experience.
The company’s strategy comes at a time of stagnation in the smartphone market and Apple’s growing independence in developing its own modem chips . Qualcomm is thus diversifying its revenue sources, shifting its focus towards robotics, connected vehicles, and industrial applications. In the most recent quarter, IoT and automotive-related activities accounted for approximately 30% of total chip sales .
For years, Qualcomm products have been inaccessible to small developers, as they were primarily sold in large batches to established companies. In contrast, competitors like Nvidia have introduced robotics development kits available for direct purchase from retailers starting at $249 , positioning themselves as a benchmark for the developer community.
Qualcomm has also acquired Foundries.io and Edge Impulse over the past 12 months, aiming to enhance its robotics and artificial intelligence solutions. Duggal said the ultimate goal is to provide the computing power needed to power humanoid robots , comparable to that used in self-driving cars.
Along with the announcement, Arduino unveiled its first board powered by a Qualcomm chip , called the Uno Q. The device, which will retail for $45 to $55 , integrates the Dragonwing QRB2210 processor, capable of running Linux and Arduino software, as well as computer vision capabilities for analyzing images from cameras.
Traditionally, Arduino boards are based on lightweight microcontrollers from manufacturers such as STMicroelectronics , Renesas Electronics , Microchip , and NXP Semiconductors , which lack performance for the most advanced AI applications. Qualcomm has confirmed that Arduino will continue to distribute chips from these brands, maintaining compatibility with the existing ecosystem.
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