Qualcomm

Qualcomm is an American global semiconductor and telecommunications company founded in 1985 by Andrew Viterbi, Franklin P. Antonio, and Irwin Jacobs. The company provides wireless telecommunications products and services that it designs, manufactures, and markets. Qualcomm has over 17 0offices in more than 40 countries around the world. Subsidiaries of Qualcomm include: Wilocity, Ubicom, SnapTrack, Qualcomm Ventures, Qualcomm Innovation Center, Qualcomm Atheros, CSR, And Airgo Networks.

Telecommunication and semiconductor products made by Qualcomm fall into the following product category types: bluetooth, cellular modems, processors, RF components, and Wi-Fi. Products made by Qualcomm are used in applications such as audio, automotive, cameras, industrial & commercial products, mobile PC's, networking, smartphones, smart cities, smart homes, wearables, and XR/VR/AR products.

On July 23, 2014 Qualcomm announced their $150 million China Startup Fund which will be used to invest in Chinese startup companies across all stages. Qualcomm will use the fund to invest in startups operating in sectors such as e-commerce, semi-conductor, education, and health.

On September 27, 2015 Qualcomm announced their Indian Startup Fund with $150 million in funding. The executive chairman of Qualcomm, Paul E. Jacobs, made the following comments regarding the company's announcement of their Indian Startup Fund:

We share Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to transform India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. We are committed to providing local innovative start-ups with the support needed to help India’s IOE (Internet of Everything) ecosystem grow, increasing consumer choice and availability.

Qualcomm has made 83 investments, lead 21 investments, and has made 25 exits.

As of December 2019, Qualcomm has made a total of 46 acquisitions.

Qualcomm is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Diego, California, and incorporated in Delaware. It creates semiconductors, software, and services related to wireless technology. It owns patents critical to the 5G, 4G, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA and WCDMA mobile communications standards.

Qualcomm was established in 1985 by Irwin M. Jacobs and six other co-founders. Its early research into CDMA wireless cell phone technology was funded by selling a two-way mobile digital satellite communications system known as Omnitracs. After a heated debate in the wireless industry, the 2G standard was adopted with Qualcomm's CDMA patents incorporated. Afterwards there was a series of legal disputes about pricing for licensing patents required by the standard.

Over the years, Qualcomm has expanded into selling semiconductor products in a predominantly fabless manufacturing model. It also developed semiconductor components or software for vehicles, watches, laptops, wi-fi, smartphones, and other devices.