Another volley in this war --this time a clear sign Qualcomm wants to break free from ARM licensing (or use that threat to negotiate better rates... HQ'd in cupertino too; nicely situated to poach CPU engineers from Apple.):
Qualcomm Acquires Ventana Micro Systems, Deepening RISC-V CPU Expertise
Dec 10, 2025
SAN DIEGO
Highlights:
- The acquisition reinforces Qualcomm's commitment and leadership in the development of the RISC-V standard and ecosystem.
- Ventana’s expertise in RISC-V instruction set development enhances Qualcomm’s CPU engineering capabilities.
- The Ventana team will complement Qualcomm's existing efforts to develop custom Oryon CPU technology.
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. today announced the acquisition of Ventana Micro Systems Inc., underscoring its commitment to advancing the RISC-V standard and ecosystem. This strategic move strengthens Qualcomm’s CPU capabilities by integrating Ventana’s expertise in RISC-V ISA development. The Ventana team will complement Qualcomm’s ongoing RISC-V and custom Oryon CPU development, further advancing technology leadership in the AI era across all businesses.
“At Qualcomm, we are committed to shaping the future of intelligent computing. We believe the RISC-V instruction set architecture has the potential to advance the frontier on CPU technology, enabling innovation across products. The acquisition of Ventana Micro Systems marks a pivotal step in our journey to deliver industry-leading RISC-V based CPU technology across products,” said Durga Malladi, executive vice president and general manager, technology planning, edge solutions and datacenter, Qualcomm Technologies.
“We are thrilled to join the Qualcomm team and contribute our RISC-V expertise in the development of Qualcomm’s leading Oryon CPU technology,” said Balaji Baktha, CEO of Ventana Micro Systems. “Qualcomm’s acquisition marks an exciting new chapter for our team and we look forward to joining Qualcomm’s team to push the boundaries of energy-efficient high-performance for next-generation products and experiences.”
About Ventana Micro Systems
Headquartered in Cupertino, Ventana Micro Systems was founded in 2018 to revolutionize the processor market by offering high-performance, extensible and secure compute chiplets based on RISC-V’s open architecture. Ventana is a member of the RISC-V International Board of Directors and its Technical Steering Committee. |
