Qualcomm won the principal U.S. lawsuit over whether its Nuvia-derived processor designs were covered by Qualcomm’s existing Arm license. On September 30, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware entered final judgment for Qualcomm and Nuvia, upholding the jury’s favorable findings and dismissing Arm’s remaining claim.
The result protects Qualcomm’s ability, under that judgment, to keep using the relevant technology in custom CPUs such as Oryon. It does not end every legal dispute with Arm: Arm appealed on October 1, 2025, and a separate Qualcomm case is scheduled for trial on October 5, 2026.
What Qualcomm actually won
Arm’s Delaware lawsuit challenged Qualcomm’s use of CPU technology obtained when Qualcomm acquired Nuvia in March 2021. The court’s final judgment established three important points:
- Qualcomm did not breach Nuvia’s Architecture License Agreement (ALA).
- Qualcomm CPUs incorporating designs acquired through Nuvia were covered by Qualcomm’s own Arm ALA.
- After the jury deadlocked on whether Nuvia breached its agreement, the court granted judgment to Nuvia and dismissed Arm’s remaining claim.
This was a civil contract and licensing dispute, not a finding that Qualcomm was “innocent” in a criminal sense. Qualcomm described the outcome as a “complete victory” in its September 30 announcement, but that description applies to this lawsuit rather than to every disagreement between the companies. Qualcomm’s announcement explains its position.
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Why Arm sued after the Nuvia acquisition
Nuvia was founded by former Apple chip engineers and held an Arm ALA that allowed it to design processor cores using Arm instruction-set architecture. Qualcomm bought Nuvia for approximately $1.4 billion in March 2021.
Arm alleged that Nuvia’s license could not be transferred to Qualcomm without Arm’s consent. According to Arm’s August 31, 2022 complaint announcement, Arm later terminated Nuvia’s ALA and argued that technology created under that agreement had to be destroyed or no longer used. Arm also challenged Qualcomm’s continued development of CPUs incorporating Nuvia-derived work. Arm’s original lawsuit announcement sets out those allegations.
ALA versus TLA
An Architecture License Agreement (ALA) lets a customer design its own processor cores based on an Arm architecture. A Technology License Agreement (TLA) generally licenses a particular Arm CPU implementation or other technology design for a specified fee. Arm’s filing describes a TLA as a license for a single CPU design or other technology design. Arm’s March 31, 2026 filing provides that description.
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The central issue was whether Qualcomm’s separate ALA covered Qualcomm’s resulting CPUs, even if some underlying engineering originated under Nuvia’s agreement. The judgment answered that question in Qualcomm’s favor for the products and claims presented in the case.
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What happened at trial and in the final judgment
The jury trial ran from December 16 through December 20, 2024. Its verdict had two clear findings and one unresolved question:
- Qualcomm had not breached the Nuvia ALA.
- Qualcomm CPUs containing designs acquired through Nuvia were licensed under Qualcomm’s ALA.
- The jury could not reach a verdict on whether Nuvia itself breached the Nuvia ALA.
On September 30, 2025, the district court resolved the remaining issue in Nuvia’s favor, dismissed Arm’s remaining claim and entered final judgment for Qualcomm and Nuvia. Qualcomm’s March 2026 filing describes the verdict, judgment and subsequent appeal. Read the filing.
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What the decision means for Oryon and Snapdragon
Oryon is Qualcomm’s custom CPU architecture for newer computing and mobile platforms. Arm had specifically contended that Oryon cores incorporated technology developed under Nuvia’s license.
The ruling removes Arm’s attempt in this lawsuit to force Qualcomm to stop using or unwind the relevant Nuvia-derived CPU technology. Qualcomm can therefore continue its custom-core strategy under the court’s determination that the relevant CPUs fall within Qualcomm’s ALA.
That protection is specific, not universal. The judgment does not say that every Snapdragon product, every future Oryon design or every Qualcomm asset is free from Arm licensing conditions. It also does not grant unlimited rights to Arm’s proprietary implementations, tools, confidential information or other technology.
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Is the Delaware judgment final?
It is a final judgment of the Delaware federal district court, but it is not the end of appellate review. Arm filed a notice of appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit on October 1, 2025. The appeal’s outcome should not be assumed.
For practical purposes, Qualcomm won at the trial-court level and can rely on that judgment while the appeal proceeds. The judgment does not itself resolve any later claims that were not part of Arm’s lawsuit.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The separate Qualcomm lawsuit against Arm
Qualcomm filed a different action against Arm on April 18, 2024. That case concerns Qualcomm’s allegations that Arm failed to provide contractual deliverables, attempted to terminate or threaten termination of Qualcomm’s ALA, made related public statements and failed to offer TLA licenses on commercially reasonable prices and terms.
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Qualcomm’s March 2026 filing says the case was consolidated with a substantially similar action against Arm Limited and that trial is scheduled for October 5, 2026. Arm’s March 31, 2026 filing describes trial as expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. These claims are separate from the Nuvia-license judgment and could affect the companies’ longer-term commercial relationship.
Arm’s earlier termination notice
On October 22, 2024, Arm notified Qualcomm that it alleged breaches of Qualcomm’s ALA and could terminate the agreement if the alleged breaches were not cured. Qualcomm disputed those allegations. On January 8, 2025, Arm withdrew the breach notice and said it had no current plan to terminate Qualcomm’s ALA, while reserving its rights in the litigation. Qualcomm’s filing records those notices.
Quick Recap
Key dates
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| March 2021 | Qualcomm acquired Nuvia. |
| March 2022 | Arm’s account says it terminated Nuvia’s ALA after objecting to the transfer. |
| August 31, 2022 | Arm sued Qualcomm, Qualcomm Technologies and Nuvia in Delaware. |
| December 16–20, 2024 | Jury trial; Qualcomm prevailed on the key findings, while the jury deadlocked on Nuvia’s alleged breach. |
| October 22, 2024 | Arm issued a separate notice alleging Qualcomm breached its own ALA. |
| January 8, 2025 | Arm withdrew that breach notice while reserving its rights. |
| September 30, 2025 | District court entered final judgment for Qualcomm and Nuvia. |
| October 1, 2025 | Arm filed an appeal. |
| January–March 2026 | Qualcomm’s separate actions against Arm and Arm Limited were consolidated after additional pleadings. |
| October 5, 2026 | Trial is scheduled in Qualcomm’s separate case against Arm, according to Qualcomm’s March 2026 filing. |
What readers should not conclude
- The ruling is not a declaration that all Qualcomm products are outside Arm licensing.
- It does not invalidate Arm’s broader licensing model or decide the separate pricing and deliverables claims.
- It does not mean Qualcomm can use every Nuvia asset or every future design without contractual restrictions.
- It does not resolve independent patent, trademark, confidentiality, antitrust or regulatory questions.
- It does not guarantee the outcome of Arm’s appeal or the October 2026 trial.
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