Latest news with #SnapdragonXSeries
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Qualcomm has another Snapdragon lawsuit in the works: Here's what you need to know.
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Qualcomm is in yet another legal standoff, this time on the smartphone side of the Snapdragon brand. Qualcomm recently won most of its defense case against Arm over the Snapdragon X Elite chipsets, with a second suit (this time brought by Qualcomm) slated to hit the courts next year. Per PhoneArena, this new suit against Qualcomm was brought by Collabo Innovations. Collabo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of WiLan, a company that states it is "critical to protect innovative technology by creating patents that describe and claim the innovative concepts." A Google search of Collabo Innovations primarily results in information about lawsuits it has filed for patent infringement. This suit by Collabo against Qualcomm pertains to patented technology that Collabo acquired from Panasonic. Whether you're invested in the Snapdragon name on laptops or phones, there's reason to watch for legal news involving Qualcomm. But, before you get too concerned, here's what you need to know: Collabo's suit against Qualcomm hinges on a microcontroller on Snapdragon chips that handles the system's shutdown process. The lawsuit's outcome could affect how Qualcomm makes all of its phone and tablet chipsets in the future. The vast majority — estimates range between 95-97% — of patent suits are settled, often with the defendant paying royalties or a sum of damages to the aggrieved party. Or those cases are settled before they go to trial with a monetary agreement between both companies. However, that's not been Qualcomm's style as of late. Qualcomm recently requested that the judge dismiss Collabo's suit, but this request was deemed premature for this particular case. A representative for Qualcomm clarified to PhoneArena, stating, "The court's order is an early procedural step that doesn't address the ultimate merits of the case. We look forward to briefing the issues again at a later time, as suggested by the court." It appears Qualcomm intends to see the suit thrown out, even with extra steps involved in the process. Qualcomm and Arm went to trial in December 2024, with Arm alleging Qualcomm had violated its licensing agreement by using the Oryon CPU cores in the Snapdragon X Series of PC chipsets, and that Qualcomm violated its agreement with Arm by puchasing a tech startup called Nuvia in 2021. The jury ruled in favor of Qualcomm on these two points of contention. Arm also alleged that Nuvia also violated its licensing agreement with Arm by providing those CPU designs to Qualcomm after Qualcomm acquired the startup in 2021. This was the question that left the jury hung and would likely not be resolved as Nuvia no longer exists as a separate entity. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x balances price and performance with a stylish design and strong battery life, making it a great all-around consumer laptop and a satisfying introduction to the new realm of Copilot+ PCs. Our Review: ★★★★½View Deal Qualcomm is bringing a countersuit against Arm that will go to trial in early 2026, alleging Arm launched a campaign against Qualcomm to stifle competition and impede innovation. That filing was recently amended to accuse Arm of misrepresenting itself, as Arm confirmed under oath that it is merely a chipset design firm, and not a "chipmaker." However, recent rumors of Arm launching its own chips have brought that claim under scrutiny. Qualcomm's legal battle against Collabo Innovations is still in its early days, but it seems unlikely the outcome would prevent Qualcomm from continuing to manufacture the Snapdragon 8 chipsets that power flagship Android phones and tablets like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Worst case, Snapdragon phones and tablets could become a bit more expensive. But that's more likely to be caused by the US foreign manufacturing tariffs rather than a legal standoff. The state of Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Series of laptop and miniPC chipsets is protected by the outcome of the first trial with Arm. Which means Qualcomm can go ahead with the Snapdragon X Elite Gen 2 launch currently slated for early next year. Qualcomm is expected to announce the second generation of Snapdragon X computer chips at Snapdragon Summit this fall. While this does leave Qualcomm with an almost two-year gap in generations, the company is "not worried about competitors." Qualcomm gambled on repeating its own ads at Computex, but did it pay off? Qualcomm's Computex event is all about AI. Is that a mistake? Microsoft may give Copilot a literal face with Live Portraits in its push for personal AI Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
CNBC
19-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Qualcomm to launch data center processors that link to Nvidia chips
Qualcomm on Monday said it plans to launch processors designed for data centers to power artificial intelligence, which will link to Nvidia's chips. Nvidia's graphics processing units (GPUs) have become a critical component in data centers used to train huge AI models that power applications like chatbots. They are often paired with a central processing unit (CPU) — a market dominated by Intel and AMD. Qualcomm said it is planning to launch a custom CPU for the data center that can connect to Nvidia's GPUs and software. A link to Nvidia's infrastructure is key for any player hoping to crack into the data center given the relevance of the U.S. chip giant's semiconductors for AI. The announcement actually marks a re-entry into the data center market for Qualcomm after previous efforts last decade bore little fruit. In 2021, Qualcomm acquired Nuvia, which designs processors based on Arm designs and has been key to the U.S. tech titan's efforts with data center CPUs. The data center CPU market remains highly competitive. Big cloud computing players like Amazon and Microsoft already design and deploy their own custom CPUs. AMD and Intel also have a strong presence. Last week, Qualcomm signed a memorandum of understanding with Saudi-based AI frim Humain to develop data centers, joining a slew of U.S. tech companies making deals in the region. Humain will operate under Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. Getting into the data center is part of a broader strategy from Qualcomm to diversify its business, which has traditionally been dominated by sales of processors and modems for smartphones. Under CEO Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm has moved into chips for cars as well as PCs — a market historically dominated by Intel. Amon said on Monday that there are now more than 85 PC designs that are on sale or in development with Snapdragon X Series chips, which were first announced in 2023. Qualcomm is pitching its chips as power efficient and capable of running AI processes on a device, rather than in the cloud, where they are typically done now. Some of the touted advantages of on-device AI include faster AI apps and more security, since data doesn't need to leave a piece of hardware.
