SpaceX Taps Qualcomm to Become a Carrier
SpaceX picks Qualcomm's base station gear for Starlink Mobile's 2027 US 5G build, tens of thousands of sites, no price disclosed.
Read the storyQualcomm
Qualcomm designs computing and connectivity platforms that bring AI to phones, PCs, vehicles, industrial systems, and infrastructure. Snapdragon and Dragonwing combine processors, accelerators, and software, while its licensing business commercializes a broad portfolio of wireless patents.
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At a glance
Founded in July 1985, Qualcomm expanded from wireless technology into mobile computing and on-device AI. Snapdragon platforms and Hexagon accelerators provide its device foundation, with Cloud AI products extending inference into infrastructure. NUVIA, Alphawave Semi, and Modular strengthened CPU, connectivity, and AI software capabilities. Qualcomm reported $9.9 billion in company revenue for its fiscal 2026 third quarter; this includes multiple businesses and is not a measure of AI revenue or ARR.
- Founded
- July 1985 ↗
- Headquarters
- San Diego, California ↗
- Public listing
- NASDAQ: QCOM ↗
- Latest reported fiscal period
- Q3 fiscal 2026, ended June 28, 2026; announced July 29, 2026 ↗
- Quarterly company revenue
- $9.9 billion in Q3 FY2026; includes multiple businesses, not AI-only revenue or ARR ↗
- QCT automotive revenue
- $1.588 billion in Q3 FY2026, up 61% year over year; not a standalone AI segment ↗
Sources checked . Financing, revenue run rates and recognized revenue are distinguished below.
Company milestones
Revenue, funding, product launches and major company events, newest first. Expand the earlier milestones for more history.
Agreement signed to acquire PickNik Robotics
Qualcomm announced an agreement to acquire PickNik, steward of the MoveIt robotics framework, to strengthen physical AI and Dragonwing robotics software. Closing remained subject to customary conditions; the release did not announce completion.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Snapdragon flagship lineup targets agentic AI
Qualcomm introduced Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 for premium smartphones. Both integrate AI, graphics, imaging, and connectivity improvements; the announcement described future OEM device launches.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Amazon collaboration expands AI data-center silicon
Qualcomm and Amazon announced a collaboration spanning multiple generations of customized silicon for AI infrastructure and inference. The partnership also covers high-speed optical connectivity and Qualcomm’s expanded use of AWS AI infrastructure.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Q3 FY2026 revenue totals $9.9 billion
Qualcomm reported $9.9 billion company revenue for the quarter ended June 28, 2026. Automotive and IoT revenue together grew 28% year over year, while the broader QCT semiconductor segment declined 5%.
Source: Qualcomm earnings release filed with SEC ↗Modular acquisition closes
Qualcomm completed its acquisition of Modular, adding AI software infrastructure for deploying workloads across heterogeneous hardware. Mojo, MAX, and Modular Cloud were to continue as products and brands with expanded support.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Alphawave Semi acquisition closes
Qualcomm completed its acquisition of Alphawave Semi, adding high-speed wired connectivity, custom silicon, and chiplet technologies. The company positioned these assets alongside Oryon CPUs and Hexagon NPUs for data-center expansion.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Oryon and multimodal AI extend into vehicles
Qualcomm introduced Snapdragon Cockpit Elite and Ride Elite, bringing Oryon CPUs and dedicated AI acceleration into automotive platforms. Sampling was planned for 2025, with Li Auto and Mercedes-Benz named as collaborators.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Qualcomm AI Hub launches optimized models
Qualcomm introduced AI Hub with more than 75 optimized AI models for Snapdragon and Qualcomm platforms. Developers could access models through AI Hub, Hugging Face, and GitHub, supporting on-device application development.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Snapdragon X Elite introduces an AI-focused PC platform
Qualcomm announced Snapdragon X Elite with its custom Oryon CPU and on-device generative AI support. The company said the platform could run models above 13 billion parameters, with PCs expected in mid-2024.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗NUVIA acquisition completes
Qualcomm announced completion of its NUVIA acquisition for $1.4 billion before adjustments. The acquired CPU engineering team strengthened a roadmap spanning laptops, smartphones, automotive systems, extended reality, and infrastructure networking.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Cloud AI 100 enters the data-center roadmap
Qualcomm introduced Cloud AI 100, extending its AI inference strategy from devices into data centers. The accelerator applied the company’s signal-processing and energy-efficiency expertise to cloud inference workloads.
Source: Qualcomm investor-relations announcement ↗Snapdragon 820 introduces the Qualcomm AI Engine
The Snapdragon 820 included Qualcomm’s first AI Engine for imaging, audio, and sensor use cases. This heterogeneous computing approach developed into later Hexagon generations with dedicated tensor acceleration and broader AI workloads.
Source: Qualcomm official Hexagon history ↗Zeroth explores brain-inspired processing
Qualcomm described Zeroth, a research effort toward brain-inspired processing and embedded cognition. The announcement proposed a new neural processing architecture intended to support smarter devices within power and size constraints.
Source: Qualcomm research announcement ↗First Snapdragon chipsets begin shipping
Qualcomm announced that its first Snapdragon chipset products were shipping to manufacturers. The QSD8250 and QSD8650 combined gigahertz processing, digital signal processing, multimedia, and cellular connectivity in an early mobile-computing platform.
Source: Qualcomm press release ↗Qualcomm is founded
Qualcomm was founded in July 1985. Its subsequent development of wireless technology, semiconductor platforms, and intellectual-property licensing created the base from which it expanded into connected computing and AI.
Source: Qualcomm investor FAQ ↗
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