Qualcomm is acquiring Italian open-source hardware and software company Arduino to accelerate its advancements in artificial intelligence. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Qualcomm stated that Arduino will continue to operate as an independent subsidiary. Arduino is well known for its programmable circuit boards and serves a user base of more than 33 million developers, primarily consisting of hobbyists, startups, and robotics labs. Arduino’s products are commonly used for prototyping new concepts rather than for commercial applications. Analysts suggest that this acquisition will allow Qualcomm to directly engage with early-stage developers. “Arduino presents Qualcomm with a unique opportunity to position its full-stack AI and IoT chipsets and software to hobbyists and developer communities,” said Lian Jye Su, principal analyst at Omdia, a division of Informa TechTarget. “Qualcomm has years of proven expertise in driving innovation in mobile and XR, but for emerging yet fragmented robotics use cases, Arduino can help by opening access to its hardware and software solutions and directly advancing robotics technology,” he added. Similarly, Alvin Nguyen, analyst at Forrester, noted that the deal opens the door to customer-driven innovation. “By acquiring Arduino, Qualcomm gains a well-recognized brand and a community that can help generate new use cases and even entirely new product categories,” he told AI Business. “It’s a smart move because it connects Qualcomm’s communications and chip expertise with a platform that people already know and trust, while unlocking access to future markets.” **Qualcomm’s AI Ambitions** This move comes several months after Qualcomm announced its $2.4 billion acquisition of UK-based semiconductor firm Alphawave. That acquisition was directly aimed at the data center AI market, currently dominated by major players like NVIDIA and AMD. While the deal doesn’t necessarily position Qualcomm to compete with these companies’ most advanced systems, it provides a strategic foothold. “Part of it, at least from a public perception standpoint, is that the competition is intensifying,” Nguyen said. “If Qualcomm uses Alphawave to build an easy-to-use technology stack that allows people to deploy AI on these products, I think the market will welcome it.” The acquisition also arrives as U.S. policymakers push to strengthen the domestic AI supply chain. While Qualcomm’s acquisitions target different ends of the AI market, they help solidify its presence in two distinct sectors. “For Qualcomm, the strategy is expansion,” Nguyen said. “Arduino strengthens their brand and influence among makers and edge developers, while Alphawave marks a serious push into enterprise AI infrastructure. Together, they help Qualcomm cover more ground across the AI landscape.”