Qualcomm Wins Jury Verdict Against Arm for Breach of Architectural License Agreement

A jury in Wilmington, Delaware found that Arm Holdings breached its long-standing Architectural License Agreement with Qualcomm and intentionally acted to disrupt Qualcomm's business. Qualcomm said it was "gratified" by the verdict, which was reported by CNBC and confirmed in a Qualcomm press release on October 13, 2026.

The verdict is the latest development in a prolonged legal fight between the two chip industry giants. Qualcomm's claims against Arm included allegations that Arm withheld software patches and tools, violated a pricing commitment meant to keep Qualcomm's rates within 10% of the lowest price charged for Arm processor designs, and intentionally damaged Qualcomm's relationship with Meta by leaking a 2024 letter to Bloomberg asserting that Qualcomm was in breach of a key license. The trial is separate from an earlier case in which Arm had sued Qualcomm over the $1.4 billion acquisition of chip startup Nuvia; that dispute was ultimately resolved in Qualcomm's favor. The jury in the current case had deliberated without reaching a verdict as recently as October 12, 2026, before returning its finding against Arm on October 13.