Qualcomm has acquired Ventana Micro Systems, a RISC-V CPU specialist whose engineers have spent several years pushing the open instruction set toward high-performance server and edge designs. The deal brings Ventana’s core CPU talent in-house just as Qualcomm is broadening its compute ambitions well beyond smartphones, balancing Arm-based designs with a growing interest in RISC-V as AI continues to disrupt, well, everything.
Qualcomm is in the middle of expanding Oryon, its custom CPU architecture that debuted in Snapdragon X Elite and underpins its push into data center accelerators, Windows PCs, and automotive compute platforms. Adding Ventana gives Qualcomm direct access to a mature RISC-V design team, rather than relying solely on internal experimentation or third-party IP, and it does so as customers across all markets are asking questions about long-term architectural flexibility.
RISC-V as a hedge
Qualcomm executives have said publicly that the company is capable of building high-performance CPUs on RISC-V if it chooses to do so. The Ventana acquisition turns that assertion into reality, as the company’s work has focused on scalable, out-of-order RISC-V cores with features expected in enterprise-class CPUs, including coherent interconnects and virtualization support. Folding that expertise into Qualcomm reduces the friction of turning RISC-V from a research effort into a deployment-ready option.
None of this is to say that Qualcomm is abandoning Arm, though. The duo’s relationship remains central to its smartphone and PC businesses, and Arm-based cores will continue to dominate shipping volumes in the near term, but roadmap alignment and geopolitical risk have become more visible considerations for large chipmakers. RISC-V offers a way to diversify architectural exposure without committing to a clean break, something that, for Qualcomm, offers value even if RISC-V volumes ramp gradually.
Ultimately, RISC-V has moved past its early microcontroller roots and is now entrenched in storage controllers, networking gear, industrial controllers, and an increasing share of automotive silicon. Competition within the ecosystem is intensifying as major vendors seek influence over extensions, toolchains, and software support. Owning a credible in-house CPU team gives Qualcomm leverage in those conversations and reduces dependence on external roadmaps.
Industrial and automotive momentum
Outside consumer devices, RISC-V is becoming mainstream in areas that value long product lifecycles and architectural stability, like industrial control systems and embedded platforms. Qualcomm has been expanding its presence in these markets through its IoT and industrial compute groups, and deeper RISC-V capabilities will help it compete against vendors that already ship large volumes of RISC-V silicon.
The automotive sector is following a similar trajectory, with software-defined vehicles driving consolidation of compute functions into centralized platforms. Automakers in particular are increasingly sensitive to licensing costs and supply chain risk — as we saw during the chip shortage of 2020 to 2023, and more recently with the Nexperia-China drama — which is leading them to prepare RISC-V-based compute platforms for systems like infotainment and ADAS.
Speaking of China, customers in the region who are facing uncertainty around access to certain Arm-based products have become more receptive to RISC-V as a neutral alternative. That demand shift has contributed to a rapid increase in RISC-V investment and product development across the region. While Qualcomm does not need to tailor products exclusively for China to benefit from that momentum, having strong RISC-V capabilities lowers barriers to participation in markets where openness and local control are being increasingly prioritized.
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