Arm and Qualcomm Battle Over Licensing and IP Ownership in Pivotal Trial

The case could reshape semiconductor industry practices and determine the future of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips.

The trial centers on Qualcomm's acquisition of Nuvia and whether its designs, based on Arm's architecture, violate licensing agreements.
Arm claims Qualcomm owes higher royalties and breached contracts by not renegotiating Nuvia's licenses after the acquisition in 2021.
Qualcomm argues its Architecture License Agreement (ALA) covers Nuvia's work and asserts that Nuvia's Oryon cores use less than 1% of Arm's technology.
Arm alleges it loses $50 million annually due to Qualcomm's actions, on top of the $300 million Qualcomm already pays in royalties.
A jury verdict, expected soon, could force Qualcomm to destroy Nuvia-based designs or affirm Qualcomm's licensing position, impacting its PC market ambitions.