Huawei and Qualcomm Agree AI and 5G Patent Deal

Huawei and Qualcomm announced a multiyear patent agreement on 5 October, covering technologies used in 5G, artificial intelligence, computing and networking.

The arrangement provides for cross-licences to the companies’ patent portfolios across those fields. Qualcomm will also acquire certain Huawei US patents involving computing, AI, networking and other technologies.

The transaction is not complete. The companies said it will close after the necessary regulatory approvals are received. Their announcements did not disclose a purchase price, an exact contract duration or a closing date.

For Huawei, the deal follows years of increased research spending as US trade restrictions constrained access to advanced chips and essential software. Reuters reported that it also follows a patent-licensing agreement with HP announced in August.

Both companies presented the agreement as recognition of the other’s research and intellectual property. They said the licensing arrangement follows fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory principles, commonly known as FRAND.

The announcement is about patent rights and selected patent purchases—not a new chip-supply agreement. For now, the concrete development is a broader commercial arrangement between two major technology companies, with completion still dependent on regulatory clearance.

Sources: Reuters report; Qualcomm; Huawei. Announced 5 October 2026.

Cover photo: Huawei’s offices in Markham, Ontario, 8 May 2019. Archival illustration. Raysonho / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. Cropped to 16:9.