Qualcomm to buy Alphawave in $2.4bn datacentre chiplet push
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Just days after completing the surprise acquisition of V2X chip designer Autotalks, Qualcomm is to buy IP and chiplet supplier Alphawave Semi for $2.4bn.
The deal for the Alphawave IP Group plc, which is based in Canada but listed in the UK, will be led by Aqua Acquisition Sub, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Qualcomm.
The deal will accelerate Qualcomm’s expansion into datacentres with custom CPUs following its purchase of custom ARM core developer Nuvia for $1.4bn in March 2021. This led to the Oryon CPU, which alongside the Hexagon NPU processors are now being aimed at AI inferencing and the transition to custom CPUs in data centres.
Alphawave has pivoted from pure IP to supply chiplets having bought RISC-V core designer OpenFive. It also has a deal with Siemens EDA to supply IP to customers.
- Alphawave launches connectivity business with 3nm DSP chiplets
- Siemens EDA taps Alphawave for IP
- Alphawave acquires RISC-V startup for chilet push
“Under Tony’s leadership Alphawave Semi has developed leading high-speed wired connectivity and compute technologies that are complementary to our power-efficient CPU and NPU cores,” said Cristiano Amon, president and CEO of Qualcomm. “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.”
“Qualcomm’s acquisition of Alphawave Semi represents a significant milestone for us and an opportunity for our business to join forces with a respected industry leader and drive value to our customers,” said Tony Pialis, president and CEO of Alphawave Semi. “By combining our resources and expertise, we will be well-positioned to expand our product offerings, reach a broader customer base, and enhance our technological capabilities. Together, we will unlock new opportunities for growth, drive innovation, and create a leading player in AI compute and connectivity solutions.”
Last week, Alphawave taped out one of the industry’s first UCIe IP subsystem on TSMC’s N2 2nm process. This supports 36G die-to-die data rates and works with TSMC’s Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) advanced packaging technology.
The 36G performance with 11.8 Tbps/mm bandwidth density marks a major step forward for the open chiplet ecosystem.
“We’re proud to lead the industry into the N2 era with one of the first UCIe IP on this advanced node,” said Mohit Gupta, Senior VP & GM, Custom Silicon & IP at Alphawave Semi. “Our 36G subsystem validates a new class of high-density, power-efficient chiplet connectivity and paves the way for 64G UCIe and beyond—critical for AI and high-radix networking applications.”
“Our latest collaboration with Alphawave Semi underscores our shared commitment to driving advancements in high-performance computing through design solutions that fully leverage the performance and energy-efficiency advantages of TSMC’s advanced process and packaging technologies,” said Lipen Yuan, Senior Director of Advanced Technology Business Development at TSMC. “This milestone illustrates how close collaboration with our Open Innovation Platform (OIP) partners like Alphawave Semi can enable the quick delivery of advanced interface IP and custom silicon solutions to meet the increasing demands of AI and cloud infrastructure.”
The acquisition is likely to take a year, and is expected to complete during the first calendar quarter of 2026, subject to approvals from UK regulators.
www.qualcomm.com; www.awavesemi.com
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