Qualcomm is acquiring Arduino to help speed up developer access to AI

Chipmaker Qualcomm has announced that it is acquiring Arduino. Best known for its Arduino boards, the Italian firm is getting a new owner for an undisclosed sum of money.

Qualcomm says that its own products will be combined with Arduino’s ecosystem, and has announced the launch of the new Arduino UNO Q, powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing platform. This is being promoted as a joining of forces, as well as a way of speeding up developers’ access to key technologies.

For anyone with concerns about what the acquisition means for the future of Arduino, Qualcomm stresses that it will retain its independent brand, tools, and mission. The chipmaker says that this is the brand’s “next chapter within the Qualcomm family”:

Following this acquisition, the 33M+ active users in the Arduino community will gain access to Qualcomm Technologies’ powerful technology stack and global reach. Entrepreneurs, businesses, tech professionals, students, educators, and hobbyists will be empowered to rapidly prototype and test new solutions, with a clear path to commercialization supported by Qualcomm Technologies’ advanced technologies and extensive partner ecosystem. 

The announcement about the acquisition came somewhat out of the blue, with Qualcomm saying:

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced its agreement to acquire Arduino, a premier open-source hardware and software company. The transaction accelerates Qualcomm Technologies’ strategy to empower developers by facilitating access to its unmatched portfolio of edge technologies and products. This acquisition builds on the Company’s recent integrations of Edge Impulse and Foundries.io, reinforcing its commitment to delivering a full-stack edge platform that spans hardware, software, and cloud services. The closing of this transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions.  

By combining Qualcomm Technologies’ leading‑edge processing, graphics, computer vision, and AI with Arduino’s simplicity, affordability, and community, the Company is poised to supercharge developer productivity across industries. Arduino will preserve its open approach and community spirit while unlocking a full‑stack platform for modern development—with Arduino UNO Q as the first step. 

The new board is the first that work with the Arduino App Lab. Qualcomm says that this is a new, integrated development environment built to unify the Arduino development journey across Real-time OS, Linux, Python and AI flows to make development faster and easier. 

Arduino has gone to some lengths to reassure users that the acquisition is a sensible move, pitching particular ideas to developers:

More power for your projects

With Qualcomm Technologies’ world-class silicon featuring superb AI, graphics and processing, Arduino will deliver technology that’s way more powerful – opening new possibilities for what you can build.

Openness remains at the core

Arduino continues to stand for community and openness. Joining Qualcomm will strengthen, rather than change, that commitment.

A robust, diverse ecosystem

Together, Arduino and Qualcomm Technologies will foster a broad, diverse developer community worldwide, connecting makers, entrepreneurs, educators, and professionals.

Scale to match your ambition

Backed by Qualcomm Technologies’ global scale and technology leadership, Arduino will be able to support your projects from the smallest prototypes to solutions with real-world impact.

More details about Qualcomm’s acquisition of Arduino can be found here.