Qualcomm and Arm have begun a five-day jury trial in a Delaware federal court. Qualcomm alleges that Arm failed to provide essential chip testing tools and leaked a 2024 termination notice to the media. Qualcomm claims this leak disrupted its partnership negotiations with Meta Platforms.
The legal dispute traces back to Qualcomm's 2021 acquisition of the startup Nuvia. Qualcomm argues that Arm executives viewed them as an enemy and sought to protect licensing revenue. The company is now seeking court permission to stop paying royalty fees to Arm for up to five years, a sum potentially reaching several billion dollars.
Qualcomm also demands that Arm grant access to the V10 instruction set architecture. The lawsuit, initially filed in April 2024 and amended multiple times, includes claims of bad-faith negotiations. Qualcomm's legal team asserts that Arm's actions constitute a breach of contract.
Arm has denied all allegations, with its counsel characterizing the lawsuit as a pressure tactic in a commercial dispute. The company argues that Qualcomm has failed to prove any actual damages and that the alleged Meta deal was merely speculative.
Arm further claims that Qualcomm previously leaked confidential details regarding antitrust investigations into Arm. According to Arm's latest annual report, Qualcomm accounted for 9% of Arm's total revenue for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026.
