In October 2024, ARM sent Qualcomm a 60-day notice, signaling its intent to terminate the company’s chip design license. The notice came as part of an escalating dispute over licensing terms between the two companies. Qualcomm quickly responded with a lawsuit, arguing against ARM’s decision, and the case went to federal court in December. However, while Qualcomm won the lawsuit, the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, leaving the door open for ARM to take further legal action in the future.
Despite this, it seems the conflict is now behind them. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon addressed the issue during a conference call discussing the company’s first-quarter results. He revealed that ARM had withdrawn its October 22 notice of breach and confirmed that the company no longer plans to terminate Qualcomm’s architecture license agreement. This development marks a significant turn in the ongoing licensing battle, as ARM had previously signaled its intent to revoke Qualcomm’s license, leading to uncertainty about the future of their business relationship.
Amon’s comments suggest that the situation has now been resolved, at least for the time being. He stated, “ARM recently notified us that it was withdrawing its October 22, 2024 notice of breach, and indicated that it has no current plan to terminate the Qualcomm architecture license agreement.” This announcement effectively puts an end to the immediate threat of ARM pulling Qualcomm’s license, bringing a sense of closure to a dispute that had generated significant industry attention.
While it appears the licensing conflict has subsided, there’s still a possibility ARM could revisit the matter in the future. For now, however, Qualcomm is moving forward, confident that this particular chapter in the licensing saga is over, at least for the time being. Time will tell if ARM takes any further steps in the matter.
