Qualcomm Moves to Arm’s New Architecture Amid Intensifying AI Chip Rivalry

Qualcomm has shifted its flagship chips to Arm’s latest v9 computing architecture, marking a pivotal step in its battle with Apple and MediaTek, Reuters reported.

The update, designed for better AI and machine learning performance, partially resolves the companies’ earlier legal dispute.

Arm’s shares surged 5% following the news, as Qualcomm’s move is expected to boost the chip designer’s revenues. The new v9 architecture enhances efficiency in handling AI workloads such as chatbots and image generation — areas where Qualcomm aims to outpace competitors.

Interestingly, Qualcomm sued Arm last year after the British chip designer tried to revoke licenses tied to Nuvia — a startup Qualcomm had acquired to boost its custom CPU design efforts.

Arm claimed the transfer violated its licensing terms. After a lengthy legal battle, a U.S. court in 2025 ruled in Qualcomm’s favor, affirming its right to use Nuvia’s Oryon cores — a major win for Qualcomm’s AI and PC ambitions.

Recently, the company also unveiled a new PC-targeted chip featuring a “Guardian” security mode, enabling remote IT management even when a device is powered off — a potential differentiator in enterprise markets.

Earlier this year, Qualcomm agreed to acquire British semiconductor firm Alphawave for $2.4 billion, marking a major step in its push into the AI-driven data centre market.