Qualcomm is pushing ahead with plans to launch a powerful new laptop processor next year from its $1.4 billion acquisition of startup Nuvia — despite a contentious lawsuit surrounding the deal.
Qualcomm acquired Nuvia in March 2021. While the startup was working on data center chips, Qualcomm shifted its focus to laptops and other mobile devices. The goal is to rival Apple’s speedy M1 processors. Nuvia’s founders were former chip designers for Apple and Google. Arm licenses a chip design architecture that semiconductor companies build on to design processors. It alleges Qualcomm needed its permission to transfer technology developed under Nuvia’s license. It sought to negotiate a new licensing rate, among other things.