Qualcomm and Huawei have signed a broad cross-licensing agreement for patents covering compute, AI, and networking technologies. This marks a significant shift in their relationship, as Qualcomm will now pay licensing fees to Huawei for the first time. The deal follows a long history of cooperation that began in 2001 when Huawei first licensed Qualcomm's CDMA technology.
The agreement adheres to fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory principles. According to Huawei, the deal does not include any other business cooperation, such as chip sales. The companies previously settled a royalty dispute in 2020, and the U.S. government revoked Qualcomm's license to supply certain hardware to Huawei in 2024.
Huawei reported that its total patent-licensing revenue has exceeded $6,9 billion since 2011. As of 2025, the company holds 165 000 active patents worldwide. Since 2021, Huawei's income from licensing its own intellectual property has surpassed the amount it pays to other firms for their patents.
The financial terms of the new deal with Qualcomm and the specific number of patents involved remain undisclosed. No timeline for the completion of the patent purchase has been provided. Qualcomm recently renewed its separate licensing agreement with Apple, which is set to take effect on April 1, 2027.
