US company Qualcomm has acquired Arduino, an Italian open-source electronics platform and maker of low-cost programmable computer boards that are often used by hardware startups and robotics labs for prototyping.
US company Qualcomm has acquired Arduino, an Italian open-source electronics platform and maker of low-cost programmable computer boards that are often used by hardware startups and robotics labs for prototyping.
Qualcomm announced on Tuesday that Arduino’s «brand, tools and mission» will remain independent, and the company will continue to make microcontrollers and microprocessors with chips from different manufacturers. The amount of the deal was not disclosed, The Verge notes .
In the wake of the acquisition, Arduino is releasing the Uno Q, a Raspberry Pi-like board that combines a Qualcomm Dragonwing QRB2210 processor and a real-time microcontroller. It can run Debian Linux and allows you to connect a keyboard, mouse, and display using a USB-C adapter.
The new board also supports lightweight AI models, allowing for the creation of «AI-based solutions for image and audio processing that respond to the environment in real time.»
The Uno Q comes pre-installed with Arduino’s new App Lab, which the company describes as a «universal development environment» where you can manage Arduino sketches, Python scripts, and AI models. The Uno Q costs $44 and is available for pre-order now.
Qualcomm adds that this agreement will allow more than 33 million people in the Arduino community to access Qualcomm technologies.
