This week, the tense situation between Qualcomm and ARM escalated to new levels. Looks like ARM canceled its chip design license to the chipmaker, potentially affecting Oryon-powered SoCs. The latest developments in the matter include an official statement from ARM regarding its legal dispute with Qualcomm.

Confrontation regarding development of custom Oryon kernels and license transfers

A recent report claimed that ARM has decided to cancel Qualcomm’s current chip design licenses. It all stems from the company’s failure to comply with ARM’s requirements to renegotiate a contract. The latter claims that Qualcomm requires a new authorization to use Nuvia licenses after acquiring them to fuel the development of custom CPU cores. This was the first step towards birth Orion architecture which gives power to the new Snapdragon 8 Elite and Snapdragon X chips.

ARM asserts that Qualcomm is using its licenses without authorization because there was never a renegotiation. This indicates TECHNOLOGY related to custom CPU cores. ARM is demanding a new deal or the destruction of Qualcomm’s latest Oryon models. The company even plans to stop sales of Snapdragon 8 Elite and Snapdragon X chips if its requirements remain unmet.

After learning of ARM’s position, Qualcomm issued an official statement (via @Ian Cutress on X). In short, a company representative said it expects to settle everything in court. A trial on the matter is scheduled for December. The representative also claimed that ARM’s lobbying actions are monopolistic.

ARM responds to Qualcomm with its own official statement

Now, ARM has responded with a statement justifying its position. “Following Qualcomm’s repeated material violations of Arm’s license agreement, Arm has no choice but to take formal action requiring Qualcomm to remedy the violation or face termination of the agreement. This is necessary to protect the unparalleled ecosystem that Arm and its highly valued partners have built over more than 30 years. Arm is fully prepared for the trial in December and remains confident that the Court will find in Arm’s favor,” the company said.

The chip design license termination report stated a 60-day cancellation notice. This means that ARM is asking Qualcomm to comply with its requirements before the mentioned period. Otherwise, sales of Snapdragon chips with Oryon cores could be in jeopardy. ARM’s latest statement suggests it has not canceled the licenses yet. However, it is prepared to do so if no agreement is reached.