Qualcomm announces acquisition of chiplet expert Alphawave Semi for $2.4 Billion

Qualcomm has agreed to acquire Alphawave IP Group plc  known as Alphawave Semi, for an implied enterprise value of approximately $2.4 billion. The acquisition, executed through Aqua Acquisition Sub LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm, targets all issued and to-be-issued ordinary share capital of Alphawave Semi. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals, approval from a majority of Alphawave Semi’s shareholders, and sanction by the High Court in the UK, as outlined in the announcement per Rule 2.7 of the UK Takeover Code.
Alphawave Semi specializes in high-speed wired connectivity and compute technologies, including IP, custom silicon, connectivity products, and chiplets designed for faster, more reliable data transfer with higher performance and lower power consumption. These technologies are integral to data centers, AI, data networking, and data storage applications. The acquisition aims to bolster Qualcomm’s expansion into data centers, driven by increasing demand for high-performance, energy-efficient computing solutions due to AI inferencing growth and the shift to custom CPUs.
Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU and Hexagon NPU processors are positioned to benefit from Alphawave Semi’s complementary technologies. Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm, stated that Alphawave Semi’s ca...