American chipmaker Qualcomm Incorporated has reached an agreement to acquire Alphawave IP Group plc (Alphawave Semi) for US$2.4 billion. This as Qualcomm flexes further its muscle on the booming artificial intelligence (AI) data center market.

Specifically, the acquisition of Alphawave Semi aims to further accelerate, and provide key assets for, Qualcomm’s expansion into data centers. Qualcomm Oryon CPU and Hexagon NPU processors are well positioned to meet the growing demand for high-performance, low-power computing, which is being driven by a rapid increase in AI inferencing and the transition to custom CPUs in data centers. 

Alphawave Semi is a global leader in high-speed wired connectivity and compute technologies. Accordingly, they deliver IP, custom silicon, connectivity products and chiplets that drive faster, more reliable data transfer with higher performance and lower power consumption. Alphawave Semi’s products enable next-generation services in a wide array of high growth applications. These include data centers, AI, data networking and data storage.

Complementing Technologies

In a statement, Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm Incorporated said Alphawave Semi has developed leading high-speed wired connectivity and compute technologies that complement Qualcomm’s power-efficient CPU and NPU cores.

“Qualcomm’s advanced custom processors are a natural fit for data center workloads. The combined teams share the goal of building advanced technology solutions and enabling next-level connected computing performance across a wide array of high growth areas, including data center infrastructure,” said Amon.

Meanwhile, Tony Pialis, president and CEO of Alphawave Semi said Qualcomm’s acquisition of Alphawave is a significant milestone as this will not only expand their product offerings but will also reach a broader customer base and enhance technological capabilities.

“Together, we will unlock new opportunities for growth, drive innovation, and create a leading player in AI compute and connectivity solutions.”

This acquisition of Alphawave Semi is expected to complete during the first quarter of 2026.

12 June 2025