Huawei and Qualcomm have signed a multiyear patent licensing agreement that gives each company access to intellectual property in 5G communications, artificial intelligence, computing and networking. Separately, Qualcomm plans to acquire certain US patents held by Huawei, with that transaction still subject to required regulatory approvals.
- 5G communications
- Artificial intelligence
- Computing technologies
- Networking technologies
The reciprocal licensing arrangement and the patent purchase are separate transactions. The licensing deal permits use of covered inventions under negotiated terms, while the acquisition would transfer rights to an unspecified group of Huawei patents to Qualcomm. Neither company has disclosed the deal’s financial terms, its precise duration or the number of patents involved in the proposed transfer.
The companies previously had a licensing agreement in 2020 that gave Qualcomm access to certain Huawei patents. The new announcement does not identify LogicFolding, Kirin processors or any specific chip-manufacturing method, so claims that those technologies are part of the deal—or that they will appear in future Snapdragon products—remain unconfirmed.
For Huawei, the agreement adds to its broader effort to monetize its research through licensing and intellectual-property sales. Huawei expects the cumulative value of its licensing agreements to exceed $6.9 billion once the transaction is completed, Reuters reports; that figure is not the amount Qualcomm will pay under this deal.
No products, processors or devices tied to the agreement have been announced. The key next developments are regulatory clearance for the patent acquisition and any later disclosure of the specific technology rights changing hands.
