Qualcomm is acquiring DIY electronics platform Arduino

Qualcomm is acquiring Arduino, the Italian open-source electronics platform behind a range of boards for tinkerers, DIY hobbyists, and educators, for an undisclosed amount. In an announcement on Tuesday, Qualcomm says the Arduino “brand, tools, and mission” will remain independent while still building microcontrollers and microprocessors with chips from multiple manufacturers.

In addition to the acquisition, Arduino is releasing the Uno Q, a Raspberry Pi-like board that combines Qualcomm’s Dragonwing QRB2210 processor and a real-time microcontroller. It’s capable of running Linux Debian and allows you to plug in a keyboard, mouse, and display with a USB-C dongle. The new board also supports lightweight AI models, allowing for “AI-powered vision and sound solutions that react to their environment in real time.”

The Uno Q comes with Arduino’s new App Lab pre-installed, which the company describes as an “all-in-one development environment” where you can manage Arduino Sketches, Python scripts, and AI models. The Uno Q costs $44 and is available for pre-order starting today.

“The launch of UNO Q is just the beginning – we’re excited to empower our global community with powerful tools that make AI development intuitive, scalable, and open to everyone,” Arduino CEO Fabio Violante said in the press release.

Qualcomm adds that the deal will enable the more than 33 million people in the Arduino community to gain access to Qualcomm’s technologies. “By combining their open-source ethos with Qualcomm Technologies’ portfolio of leading edge products and technologies, we’re helping enable millions of developers to create intelligent solutions faster and more efficiently—including a path towards global commercialization by leveraging the scale of our ecosystem,” Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm’s group general manager of automotive, industrial, and embedded IoT, said in the press release.