Qualcomm announced that it has acquired Arduino, the Italian open-source electronics platform beloved by electronics enthusiasts and educators, for an undisclosed sum. This strategic move means Arduino, which is particularly popular with tinkerers, DIY enthusiasts, and engineering students, will join forces with the tech giant.
Qualcomm to Maintain Arduino’s Independence
According to a statement released on Tuesday, Qualcomm pledged that Arduino’s “brand, tools, and mission” will remain independent following the acquisition. The platform will continue to produce microcontrollers and microprocessors using chips from multiple manufacturers, signaling the continued open-source spirit and diversity of its ecosystem.
Shiftdelete.netImmediately following the news of the acquisition, Arduino also introduced the Uno Q.
This Raspberry Pi-like board symbolizes the new era of Arduino. Powered by Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QRB2210 processor and a real-time microcontroller, the Uno Q stands out with its ability to function as a desktop computer. Users can run the Linux Debian operating system by connecting a keyboard, mouse, and display via a USB-C adapter.
But the Uno Q’s most striking feature is its support for lightweight AI models. This capability allows the board to deliver “AI-powered visual and audio solutions that respond to their environments in real time.”
The Uno Q also comes pre-installed with Arduino’s new development environment, called App Lab. The company describes this application as an “all-in-one development environment” designed to manage Arduino Sketches, Python scripts, and AI models.
The Uno Q is available for pre-order today with a price tag of just $44.
Arduino CEO Fabio Violante emphasized that the launch is just the beginning, saying, “We are excited to empower our global community with powerful tools that make AI development intuitive, scalable, and accessible to everyone.”
From Qualcomm’s perspective, this agreement will provide access to Qualcomm technologies to more than 33 million people in the Arduino community.
“By combining our open source approach with Qualcomm Technologies’ leading portfolio of products and technologies, we are helping millions of developers build smart solutions faster and more efficiently. This includes a path to global commercialization by leveraging the scale of our ecosystem,” said Nakul Duggal, general manager of Qualcomm’s automotive, industrial, and embedded IoT group.
