U.S. semiconductor corporations Qualcomm announced on the 7th (local time) that it will acquire Italian hardware corporations Arduino. Arduino is a manufacturer of low-cost circuit boards and computers widely used for prototyping in hardware startups and robotics labs.
Qualcomm did not disclose specific transaction details such as the acquisition price and said Arduino will operate as an independent subsidiary. Qualcomm's acquisition appears to be a move to strengthen its robotics business.
Qualcomm is a major supplier of core chips that go into mobile phones such as Samsung Electronics Galaxy, but it has expanded into other areas such as connected vehicles, wireless earphones, laptop computers, and industrial machinery.
Arduino provides affordable and easy-to-use open-source hardware (circuit boards) and software. Students and hobbyists, startups, and professional engineers around the world use it to build prototypes of robots or electronic devices. Through its open-source platform, Arduino has a developer community of 33,000.
Arduino said it will release, for the first time, a circuit board equipped with a Qualcomm chip. The board will feature Qualcomm's processor called "DragonWing QRB2210."
Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm's general manager for the automotive, industrial, and Internet of Things (IoT) institutional sector, said, "Once developers (using Arduino) go through the early stages of turning ideas into prototypes and proving concepts, they need to move to commercialization," adding, "This is the area where we at Qualcomm have world-class expertise."