Qualcomm and STMicroelectronics Forge Strategic Partnership for Next-Gen Wireless IoT Solutions

Qualcomm and STMicroelectronics Partner to Drive Next-Gen Wireless IoT Solutions

Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd announce a new strategic collaboration for the next generation of industrial and consumer IoT solutions augmented by edge AI. This highly complementary collaboration will see the two companies integrate Qualcomm Technologies' leading AI-powered wireless connectivity technologies, starting with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Thread combo system-on-a-chip (SoC), with the market-leading microcontroller (MCU) ecosystem from ST. Through this collaboration, developers will enjoy seamless connectivity software integration into STM32 general-purpose MCUs, including software toolkits, facilitating quick and broad adoption via ST's world-wide sales and distributor channels.

Qualcomm and STMicroelectronics enter strategic collaboration in wireless IoT

Strategic collaboration will pair STMicroelectronics' market-leading STM32 microcontroller ecosystem and Qualcomm's world-leading wireless connectivity solutions.Seamless integration into existing STM32 developer ecosystem to allow simple, fast, and cost-effective design of next-gen industrial and consumer IoT applications augmented by edge AI. Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, announce today a new strategic collaboration for the next generation of industrial and consumer IoT solutions augmented by edge AI. This highly complementary collaboration will see the two companies integrate Qualcomm Technologies' leading AI-powered wireless connectivity technologies, starting with Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Thread combo system-on-a-chip (SoC), with the market-leading microcontroller (MCU) ecosystem from ST. Through this collaboration, developers will enjoy seamless connectivity software integration into STM32 general-purpose MCUs, including software toolkits, facilitating quick and broad adoption via ST's world-wide sales and distributor channels. Remi El-Ouazzane, President, Microcontrollers, Digital ICs and RF Products Group, for STMicroelectronics said: "Wireless connectivity is key to the fast pervasion of edge AI across an ever-growing variety of use cases in enterprise, industrial and personal applications. This is why we are establishing a strategic collaboration with Qualcomm Technologies on wireless connectivity today, starting with Wi-Fi/BT/Thread combo SoC, and already considering next steps, complementing our existing multi-protocol Bluetooth Low Energy, Zigbee, Thread and sub-GHz products portfolio. We envision wireless connectivity products based on technology from Qualcomm Technologies augmenting any of our STM32 products, bringing significant value to our more than 100,000 STM32 customers globally." Rahul Patel, Group General Manager, Connectivity, Broadband and Networking Business Unit for Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. said: "Qualcomm Technologies' research and development leadership has helped drive the evolution of wireless IoT, ranging from pioneering 4G/5G, to high performance Wi-Fi, to micropower connectivity solutions. Our collaboration with STMicroelectronics pairs Qualcomm Technologies' best-in-class connectivity offerings with ST's leading STM32 microcontroller ecosystem and will help drive a significant acceleration of feature-rich capabilities across the IoT. Together, we are setting new developer experiences for IoT applications, supporting seamless integration and optimal performance for developers and end-users alike." Focusing on the broader market, ST plans to introduce self-contained modules utilizing Qualcomm Technologies' Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Thread combo SoC portfolio, which can be system-level integrated with any STM32 general-purpose microcontrollers. Wireless connectivity optimized and made available to ST's developer ecosystem through ST's well established software platform will contribute to reducing development time and time-to- market. The initial product offerings resulting from this collaboration are expected to be available to OEMs in Q1 2025, with broader availability to follow. This is a first step in a collaboration that envisions a roadmap of Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/Thread combo SoC products over time, with the intention to extend into cellular connectivity for industrial IoT applications. Andrew Zignani, Senior Research Director, ABI Research, commented "With the installed base of consumer, commercial and industrial connected devices expected to reach well over 80 billion units by 2028, the proliferation of high-performance wireless connectivity solutions combined with a diverse suite of microcontrollers will be fundamental in enabling this next wave of wireless IoT innovation. This collaboration between STMicroelectronics and Qualcomm Technologies is a perfect match thanks to ST's leading microcontroller ecosystem and Qualcomm Technologies' R&D leadership in wireless connectivity, and the growing availability of these combined solutions will enable companies to address this dynamic IoT market more simply, more quickly, and more cost-effectively in the years to come." About STMicroelectronics At ST, we are over 50,000 creators and makers of semiconductor technologies mastering the semiconductor supply chain with state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. An integrated device manufacturer, we work with more than 200,000 customers and thousands of partners to design and build products, solutions, and ecosystems that address their challenges and opportunities, and the need to support a more sustainable world. Our technologies enable smarter mobility, more efficient power and energy management, and the wide-scale deployment of cloud-connected autonomous things. We are committed to achieving our goal to become carbon neutral on scope 1 and 2 and partially scope 3 by 2027. Further information can be found at www.st.com.

Qualcomm, STMicroelectronics Join Forces on AI Chips

Qualcomm said it agreed to partner with Apple supplier STMicroelectronics to develop next-generation chips powered by artificial intelligence for industrial and consumer products. The companies said in a joint statement that they would seek to integrate Qualcomm's AI-powered wireless connectivity technologies with STMicroelectronics' microcontroller ecosystem, with the first products expected to be available in the first quarter of next year. "Wireless connectivity is key to the fast pervasion of edge AI across an ever-growing variety of use cases in enterprise, industrial and personal applications," said Remi El-Ouazzane, president of microcontrollers, digital integrated circuits and RF Products Group at STMicroelectronics.