Arm’s lawsuit against Qualcomm and Nuvia did not simply end in a mistrial. The December 2024 jury trial produced a partial mistrial on one question, while the jury ruled for Qualcomm on two others. On September 30, 2025, the Delaware district court entered final judgment for Qualcomm, Qualcomm Technologies and Nuvia. Arm has appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, so the district-court victory remains subject to appellate review.
The short version
- Arm sued Qualcomm and Nuvia on August 31, 2022, after Qualcomm acquired Nuvia.
- The dispute centered on two separate Arm Architecture License Agreements (ALAs).
- An eight-person jury deliberated for more than nine hours during the December 16–20, 2024 trial.
- The jury found that Qualcomm did not breach the Nuvia ALA and that Qualcomm’s use of the disputed Arm technology was licensed under Qualcomm’s own ALA.
- The jury could not agree on whether Nuvia itself breached its ALA, creating a mistrial limited to that question.
- Judge Maryellen Noreika denied Arm’s request for a new trial and entered judgment for all defendants on September 30, 2025, including judgment as a matter of law for Nuvia because Arm had not proved harm.
- Arm’s appeal was still pending in its latest available filing, dated August 18, 2026.
How the case reached trial
Arm filed the Delaware action on August 31, 2022. The dispute followed Qualcomm’s announcement of its Nuvia acquisition in January 2021 and completion of the deal in March 2021. Arm argued that Nuvia’s contractual restrictions continued to matter after the acquisition and that Qualcomm could not use Nuvia-developed CPU work simply by invoking Qualcomm’s older Arm license.
The five-day jury trial ran from December 16 through December 20, 2024. The court’s searchable opinion describes the verdict and post-trial proceedings in its memorandum opinion.
The two Arm licenses at the center of the dispute
| Agreement | Date | Practical role in the case |
|---|---|---|
| Qualcomm ALA | May 30, 2013 | Gave Qualcomm a nonexclusive, worldwide right to use applicable Arm technology to design and have designed Arm-compliant processor cores. |
| Nuvia ALA | September 27, 2019 | Authorized Nuvia to design CPUs using Arm technology, while imposing restrictions concerning transfer after an acquisition and obligations tied to certain breaches. |
Arm’s theory was that Nuvia’s license was not transferable without Arm’s consent and that Qualcomm could not use work developed under that agreement through its separate Qualcomm ALA. Qualcomm argued that its own pre-existing license covered the relevant Arm technology and that the acquisition did not eliminate Qualcomm’s contractual rights.
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What Arm alleged and what Qualcomm argued
Arm’s position
- Nuvia’s ALA restricted transfer after Qualcomm’s acquisition.
- The disputed CPU designs were developed for Nuvia, not Qualcomm, and therefore fell outside Qualcomm’s ALA.
- Qualcomm could not avoid Nuvia-specific restrictions by relying on its older agreement.
Qualcomm’s position
- Qualcomm had not breached the Nuvia ALA.
- Its own ALA remained effective after the acquisition.
- The CPU designs and Arm technology at issue were covered by Qualcomm’s existing license.
The district court noted evidence that some Arm employees and executives had assessed that Qualcomm’s existing architecture license might cover post-acquisition work. That evidence helped establish a sufficient basis for the jury’s verdict.
What the jury decided—and what it did not
| Question | Result |
|---|---|
| Did Qualcomm breach the Nuvia ALA? | No. The jury ruled for Qualcomm. |
| Was Qualcomm’s use of the disputed Arm technology licensed under the Qualcomm ALA? | Yes. The jury ruled for Qualcomm. |
| Did Nuvia breach its own ALA? | No unanimous verdict. The deadlock produced a mistrial limited to this issue. |
Calling the entire case a mistrial is therefore incomplete. The jury resolved two important questions and deadlocked only on the Nuvia-breach question.
Why the judge later entered judgment for Qualcomm and Nuvia
After the verdict, Arm asked Judge Noreika to overturn the favorable findings or order a broader new trial. The court denied that request. It concluded that the jury had an adequate evidentiary basis for finding that Qualcomm had not breached the Nuvia ALA and that Qualcomm’s use was licensed under the Qualcomm ALA.
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Nuvia separately sought judgment as a matter of law. On September 30, 2025, the court granted that motion concerning Arm’s failure to prove harm by a preponderance of the evidence. The resulting final judgment favored Qualcomm, Qualcomm Technologies and Nuvia on the claims remaining after the partial jury verdict.
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At the district-court level, Qualcomm was not held liable for breaching the Nuvia ALA, and its use of the disputed technology was held to be covered by its separate Qualcomm ALA. Nuvia also avoided liability after the court found that Arm had not proved compensable harm.
The ruling removed a major legal challenge to Qualcomm’s use of Nuvia-derived CPU technology, including technology associated commercially with Qualcomm’s Oryon CPU designs. It did not establish that every Qualcomm Arm-based product or future design is licensed, nor did it decide unrelated licensing disputes.
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The appeal is still pending
Arm filed an appeal with the Third Circuit. Arm’s latest available Form 20-F says the appeal remained pending as of the filing available on August 18, 2026. The district-court result should therefore be described as a win for Qualcomm and Nuvia subject to appeal, not as an irrevocably final resolution.
Arm’s filing is available in PDF and HTML form.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.A separate Arm–Qualcomm lawsuit continues
The original Arm v. Qualcomm/Nuvia case is not the only litigation between the companies. Qualcomm filed a separate Delaware action against Arm on April 18, 2024, alleging that Arm failed to meet certain delivery obligations under Qualcomm’s ALA. Qualcomm later added allegations involving Arm’s notice of breach, related tort and anticompetition claims, and an alleged breach of Qualcomm’s Technology License Agreement.
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According to Arm’s 2026 filing, Qualcomm’s attempt to add Arm Limited to the original action was denied on January 7, 2026. The later suit and related proceedings were consolidated in March 2026; Qualcomm filed an amended complaint on March 30, 2026, and the consolidated matter was expected to proceed toward a fourth-quarter 2026 trial. This separate case should not be confused with the Nuvia licensing judgment.
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Business implications for Qualcomm, Arm and chip buyers
Qualcomm’s custom-CPU strategy
The judgment reduces uncertainty around Qualcomm’s ability to use Nuvia-derived technology under Qualcomm’s existing Arm license. It avoids an immediate order requiring Qualcomm to stop using the disputed work and preserves the legal foundation for products built around that technology while the appeal proceeds.
Arm’s commercial leverage
Arm did not obtain the licensing restriction or remedy it sought in this case. However, the appeal and separate litigation preserve significant legal and commercial uncertainty.
The companies remain business partners
Litigation has not ended their licensing relationship. Arm reported that Qualcomm accounted for 9% of its revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2026, underscoring that the legal conflict exists alongside an important ongoing customer relationship.
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- It does not guarantee Qualcomm’s market share, product performance or success in PCs.
- It does not resolve every future interpretation of Arm’s licenses.
- It does not prevent Arm from pursuing issues preserved for appeal or raising separate contractual claims.
Bottom line
The December 2024 proceeding ended in a partial mistrial, not a total failure to decide the case. The jury ruled for Qualcomm on two central questions, the court resolved the remaining issue in favor of Nuvia, and final judgment was entered for Qualcomm and Nuvia on September 30, 2025. Arm’s Third Circuit appeal remained pending as of its latest filing, and a separate Qualcomm lawsuit against Arm is moving toward a trial expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
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