Qualcomm buys Arduino company

Qualcomm announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Arduino, an Italian non-profit organization. Arduino is an open-source platform widely known among developers, students and engineers as a tool for prototyping robots and automation systems. According to the company, Arduino solutions are used by more than 33 million developers worldwide. The deal is part of Qualcomm’s strategy to expand its presence in the areas of edge computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and the Internet of Things (IoT).

The acquisition will allow Qualcomm to integrate its own technologies into the Arduino ecosystem, which is compatible with chips from various manufacturers. This will open up wider access to Qualcomm tools to developers around the world and accelerate the transition from the prototyping stage to commercial implementation of solutions.

Arduino will maintain independence in making engineering and personnel decisions, and will continue to develop its brand. The deal complements Qualcomm’s recent acquisitions of Foundries.io and Edge Impulse, allowing the company to build a complete ecosystem spanning all levels – from hardware to cloud services.