Biggest shake-up in tech in decades? Arm to cancel Qualcomm’s chip license

Arm Holdings, the company behind the Arm architecture-based computer processors, is canceling a license that permitted Qualcomm to design and develop chips based on Arm, Bloomberg reported Tuesday.

The cancelation comes with a mandatory 60-day notice.

Arm and Qualcomm – longtime partners – have been embroiled in a feisty feud since 2022 when Arm sued its collaborator for breach of contract.

The clash of the tech titans threatens to derail the smartphone and personal computer markets. The majority of Android smartphones use Qualcomm processors – most notably the Snapdragon line of products – which are all based on Arm architecture. These products account for much of Qualcomm’s nearly $39 billion in revenue.

A Qualcomm spokesperson told Bloomberg that Arm’s license cancelation was “an attempt to disrupt the legal process” and that it was completely baseless.

Arm, Qualcomm, Intel, AMD and others have been entangled in a web of schemes and counter-schemes in recent years with Intel rejecting Arm’s approach for its product division in September and Qualcomm inquiring to buy the entirety of Intel.

The resolution of the conflict remains uncertain, but in the meantime, the tech industry, especially the smartphone sector, may be facing its biggest shake-up in decades.