Key Takeaways QCOM gained 28.2% in 3 months, outperforming Intel but lagging Broadcom and the industry. Snapdragon 8 Elite adoption in premium smartphones is fueling Qualcomm's handset revenue growth. Stiff competition, in-house chips by OEMs, and lowered earnings estimates weigh on QCOM's growth outlook.Qualcomm Incorporated (QCOM) has gained 28.2% in three months compared with the Electronics – Semiconductors industry’s growth of 69.3%. The stock has underperformed the Zacks Computer & Technology sector ...

Core Viewpoint - Qualcomm is re-entering the data center market by acquiring Alphawave, a leading semiconductor IP company, to enhance its competitive edge in this sector, particularly in AI chip development [1][2]. Group 1: Acquisition Details - Qualcomm announced the acquisition of Alphawave IP Group plc for an implied enterprise value of approximately $2.4 billion, expected to be completed by Q1 2026 [1][2]. - The acquisition aims to accelerate Qualcomm's expansion into the data center market and provide critical assets, particularly in high-performance, low-power computing [2][4]. Group 2: Financial Performance of Alphawave - Alphawave reported revenues of $308 million for FY2024, a 4% decline year-over-year, while FY2023 revenues were $322 million, showing a significant growth of 74% [2]. - The company achieved a booking amount of $520 million in FY2024, a 34% increase year-over-year, with a gross margin of 59%, up by 8 percentage points [2]. Group 3: Market Position and Technology - Alphawave ranks fourth globally in the semiconductor design IP market with a market share of 3.2% [3]. - The company specializes in high-end interface IP products, which are crucial for building high-performance computing applications, particularly in AI systems [3]. Group 4: Strategic Implications for Qualcomm - The acquisition is expected to enhance the data transmission efficiency of Qualcomm's Oryon CPU and Hexagon NPU in AI training and inference scenarios [4]. - Analysts suggest Qualcomm may pursue two development paths: launching Arm-based data center processors to compete directly with Nvidia and AMD, or adopting a chip design service model similar to Broadcom [4][5]. Group 5: Historical Context and Future Outlook - Qualcomm previously attempted to enter the data center market with the Centriq 2400 processor in 2017 but faced challenges due to the dominance of Intel's x86 architecture [5]. - The company has been gradually building its capabilities, including the acquisition of Nuvia in 2021, which focused on data center CPUs [5][6]. - Qualcomm's CEO indicated that the company is well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand for AI data centers and plans to re-enter the server market with new products by 2025 [7][8].