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Qualcomm to Expand Into Data Centers With Alphawave Semi Buyout

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Key Takeaways

  • QCOM will buy Alphawave Semi for $2.4B to expand into data centers and AI infrastructure.
  • The deal adds chiplets and connectivity tech to QCOM's portfolio for high-growth applications.
  • Alphawave's products complement QCOM's CPU and NPU cores, enhancing AI and 5G capabilities.

Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM - Free Report) has inked a definitive agreement to acquire Alphawave Semi for an enterprise value of approximately $2.4 billion. The transaction, subject to the fulfillment of closing conditions and other mandatory regulatory approvals, is likely to be completed in the first quarter of 2026. The deal will offer Qualcomm an opportunity to expand its presence in high-growth applications, including data centers, artificial intelligence (AI), data networking and data storage.

With advanced technology solutions that are complementary to power-efficient CPU and NPU cores, Alphawave Semi delivers connectivity products and chiplets that drive faster, more reliable data transfer with higher performance and lower power consumption for 5G wireless, AI and data center applications. The acquisition of this U.K.-based chip firm will likely enable Qualcomm to be the driving force of the next wave of AI innovation.

In April, Qualcomm acquired MovianAI, the former generative AI division of VinAI, a prominent Vietnam-based AI company. The acquisition provided Qualcomm access to VinAI’s comprehensive expertise in generative AI, machine learning, computer vision and natural language processing, significantly accelerating its fundamental AI research. The integration of VinAI’s portfolio with Qualcomm’s extensive R&D expertise facilitated the development of state-of-the-art AI-driven solutions for a wide range of industries, including smartphones, PCs, software-defined vehicles and more.

Other Tech Firms Focusing on AI Chips

Intel Corporation (INTC - Free Report) has launched the Intel Core Ultra (Series 2) processors engineered to redefine mobile computing for a wide range of use cases such as gaming, content creation, IT applications and various other businesses. This state-of-the-art lineup brings significant advancements in AI capabilities, improved performance and efficiency, setting new standards for AI computing. Intel has also introduced a new lineup of leading-edge processors to support AI workloads for edge devices. The Intel Core Ultra processors offer greater scalability, energy efficiency and impressive performance at the edge for a diverse range of use cases such as industrial IoT, autonomous vehicles and more.

Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD - Free Report) has strengthened its position in the semiconductor market on the back of its evolution as an enterprise-focused company from a pure-bred consumer-PC chip provider. The latest MI300 series accelerator family strengthens its competitive position in the generative AI space. The accelerator from Advanced Micro is based on AMD CDNA 3 accelerator architecture and supports up to 192 GB of HBM3 memory, enabling efficient running of large language model training (up to 80 billion parameters) and inference for generative AI workloads. Advanced Micro is also benefiting from strong enterprise adoption and expanded cloud deployments.

QCOM’s Price Performance, Valuation and Estimates

Qualcomm shares have declined 26.1% over the past year against the industry’s growth of 15.3%.

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Going by the price/earnings ratio, the company's shares currently trade at 13.18 forward earnings, lower than 30.77 for the industry and the stock’s mean of 17.33. 

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Earnings estimates for 2025 have decreased 0.17% to $11.8 per share over the past 60 days, while the same for 2026 have declined 4.1% to $12.07.

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Qualcomm stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.


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