US chipmaker Qualcomm is interested in purchasing a stake in Arm, according to a report in the Financial Times.

Qualcomm chief executive Cristiano Amon told the newspaper that Arm is a “very important asset and it’s an asset which is going to be essential to the development of our industry.”

Amon said his firm may join up with other companies to purchase the firm outright.

The recent announcement comes despite plans by Arm owner, the Japanese conglomerate Softbank, to list Arm on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) later this year.

Arm’s ownership has been a subject of much debate throughout the past year, as its chips are of key importance to the semiconductor industry more widely.

Arm, based in Cambridge, has around 6,500 staff worldwide, and designs processors which are widely used in consumer electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, and desktops including some Apple devices.

The manufacturer’s planned sale to Nvidia collapsed after receiving intense scrutiny from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which alleged that the merged business would “significant degree of control over key technologies for a range of sectors,” including artificial intelligence.

An acquisition of Arm by Qualcomm is also unlikely to avoid scrutiny by authorities.


In May, TechNation said that the UK needs to do more to keep British technology companies in Britain.

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