Qualcomm makes Snapdragon mobile processors and supplies chips used in many smartphones.
Qualcomm was founded in 1985 by seven former Linkabit employees, including Irwin Jacobs. The company became especially influential in wireless communications through research, semiconductor products, and patents covering cellular technologies.
Snapdragon is Qualcomm’s best-known product family. Snapdragon platforms can combine a central processor, graphics, connectivity, imaging, and other functions for smartphones and related devices. Qualcomm also licenses cellular intellectual property to device manufacturers.
The company is often confused with Arm, whose processor architectures are licensed by many chip designers. Qualcomm designs and sells chips and also licenses technologies; Arm primarily licenses instruction-set and CPU designs. Qualcomm’s market value reflects both its semiconductor business and its patent-licensing operations.