Qualcomm announced Tuesday it is buying Arduino, an Italian developer of tiny computers used worldwide by artists and makers for interactive projects.
The San Diego-based company’s Qualcomm Technologies division said the acquisition is part of a “strategy to empower developers by facilitating access to its unmatched portfolio of edge technologies and products.”
Arduino, which was founded in 2003, develops a wide range of inexpensive microcontrollers and microprocessors that are used by millions of entrepreneurs, developers, artists, educators and hobbyists.
“Arduino has built a vibrant global community of developers and creators,” said Qualcomm’s Naku Duggal, group general manager for automotive, industrial and embedded IoT.
“By combining their open-source ethos with Qualcomm Technologies’ portfolio of leading edge products and technologies, we’re helping enable millions of developers to create intelligent solutions faster and more efficiently — including a path towards global commercialization by leveraging the scale of our ecosystem,” Duggal said
Qualcomm will preserve Arduino as a separate brand with its own development tools and open-source approach.
Along with the acquisition announcement, the companies released a new single-board computer, the Arduino UNO Q, powered by a Qualcomm Dragonwing processor.
“Our passion for simplicity, affordability, and community gave rise to a movement that changed technology,” said Massimo Banzi, co-founder of Arduino. “By joining Qualcomm Technologies, we’ll bring cutting-edge AI tools to our community while staying true to what has always mattered most to us.”
Qualcomm said closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions. The value of the transaction was not disclosed.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
