Huawei and Qualcomm sign agreement on 5G and AI advances

Huawei and Qualcomm have announced a multi-year patent license deal aimed at supporting research in areas such as 5G, AI, and networking.

The deal between the duo will include cross licensing for both companies’ patent portfolios, which span a range of technology domains. It also marks the first 5G patent licensing agreement between the two firms.

In addition, Qualcomm has agreed to purchase Huawei US patents relating to areas such as AI and networking. This reportedly includes licensing for the Chinese company’s LogicFolding chipmaking technique.

While the deal remains subject to regulatory approval, Huawei said the agreement highlights a shared commitment to IP rights and “licensing practices consistent with fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory principles”.

"Huawei's decades of sustained investment in fundamental R&D have driven innovation and progress in mobile communications and other technology fields,” said Huawei’s chief intellectual property officer, Alan Fan.

“Huawei's broad contributions to the 4G/5G standards, such as the near-physical-limit signal transmission technology using polar codes, have established Huawei's leadership in the mobile communications industry, and continuously transformed the way people communicate and live.”

Huawei made its first IP license payment to Qualcomm in 2001, the company noted, while its first IP license income came from Motorola in 2011. Since then, the total cumulative revenue from IP licensing has reached $6.9 billion.

To date, the company has signed upwards of 270 patent licensing agreements with companies in the United States, Japan, South Korea, and Europe.

John Han, EVP and GM of Qualcomm Technology Licensing, said the move reflects a recognition of Huawei’s “continued innovation and intellectual property in 5G and other technology fields”.

"Qualcomm has invested in foundational wireless technologies that have enabled successive generations of mobile innovation and earned broad recognition across the global wireless industry,” Han commented.

The announcement by the duo builds on a similar licensing agreement signed between Huawei and HP in August this year. At the time, the Chinese tech giant said it agreed to a multi-year deal for Wi-Fi patents.

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