What just happened? Qualcomm is buying Arduino – the Italian open-source darling of tinkerers, educators, and inventors – in a deal that underscores how the battle for the edge starts with the makers. Financial terms weren't disclosed, but Arduino will continue to operate independently once the acquisition closes.
Qualcomm said the acquisition will expand its portfolio of edge technologies and products, and better help everyone from students and educators to entrepreneurs and professionals more easily bring their ideas to life.
As CNBC highlights, Arduino products are not used to build commercial products for public consumption but they can be leveraged during the prototyping phase. They are also quite popular with tinkerers and electronics enthusiasts.
Once complete, the Arduino community and its more than 33 million members will have full access to Qualcomm's tech stack. The acquisition could also help Qualcomm build rapport with clients that could eventually choose their hardware over rivals. Qualcomm did not provide a timeline for when the deal might be finalized, only noting that it is subject to customary regulatory approval and other common closing conditions. Pushback from regulators is not anticipated.
The tech titan also used the opportunity to announce Arduino's next hardware product. The Uno Q is described as the company's first "dual-brain" board, complete with a Linux Debian-capable microprocessor and microcontroller (STM32U585).
Powered by Qualcomm's Dragonwing QRB2210 platform, the new single-board computer features 2 GB of RAM, 16 GB of built-in eMMC storage, dual-band Wi-Fi 5 / Bluetooth 5.1, and USB-C connectivity. It is being marketed as a "go-to tool" for a wide range of development applications and can even enable AI-powered vision and audio experiences.
Uno Q will be the first Arduino board compatible with App Lab, the company's latest development environment. Qualcomm said App Lab will work seamlessly with the Edge Impulse platform, allowing users to create and tweak AI models using real-world data from a variety of sources.
The Uno Q is available to pre-order directly from Arduino's online store priced at $44. Look for it to ship from October 24.
Qualcomm just bought Arduino, the open-source hardware and software maker
