A five-day jury trial between Qualcomm and Arm opened Monday in the US District Court for the District of Delaware. Qualcomm accuses Arm of failing to deliver contracted chip testing tools and of leaking a 2024 letter threatening to terminate a core license agreement, disrupting Qualcomm's chip talks with Meta.
Qualcomm is seeking up to 5 years without paying Arm royalties, involving billions of dollars, and asks the court to force Arm to grant V10 instruction set architecture licensing.
Qualcomm filed suit in April 2024, adding claims in 2025 and March 2026, including that Arm failed to negotiate licensing terms in good faith. Its two main claims: Arm refused to deliver contracted chip testing tools, and Arm leaked a termination letter that interfered with Qualcomm's Meta chip project. Qualcomm's lawyer cited the 2021 Nuvia acquisition in opening statements, referencing internal documents in which Arm executives allegedly called Qualcomm an enemy and feared falling royalty revenue.
As a core Arm customer, Qualcomm is seeking special relief to pause royalty payments for up to five years, worth billions. Arm denies all claims. Arm's lawyer said the suit is a commercial pressure tactic and that Qualcomm cannot prove actual damages. Arm also argued the chip cooperation was only at an intent stage with no real harm, and that Qualcomm itself leaked non-public information related to Arm's antitrust probe, disqualifying it from claiming leakage damages.
Per Arm's annual report, Qualcomm contributed 9% of Arm's total revenue in the fiscal year ending March 31, 2026. Arm also noted it cannot predict the trial's outcome or its impact on the partnership and related revenue.
ICgoodFind: The escalating Qualcomm-Arm dispute centers on V10 architecture licensing and massive IP royalties, with deep implications for the IP and chip ecosystem.
ICgoodFind Summary: Qualcomm's push for royalty relief and V10 access turns this trial into a defining test of licensing power between a major chipmaker and its core IP supplier.
