Qualcomm buys RISC-V startup Akeana to push into AI and data-center chips
What's the deal? Qualcomm has acquired Akeana, a US semiconductor startup that designs processors using the open-source RISC-V architecture. Terms were undisclosed. The deal brings Akeana's technology and engineering team into Qualcomm to expand its push in AI and data centers.
Who's Akeana? Founded in 2021 by engineers who previously built server processors at Marvell, the startup raised more than $100 million in August 2024 from investors including Kleiner Perkins, Mayfield, and FidelityDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. Its RISC-V designs let companies customise processors for AI systems, computers, and data centers.
The Samsung link: Akeana partnered with Samsung Electronics'Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → Foundry division to build server chips on Samsung's 4-nanometer process. In December 2025, the pair completed the design of a server test chip called Alpine.
The hire: Founder and chief executive officer Rabin Sugumar has joined Qualcomm as vice president of engineering. He confirmed the acquisition on LinkedIn, saying Akeana's team "would now become part of Qualcomm."
Why now? The deal extends Qualcomm's move beyond smartphones into AI silicon. It recently completed its $2.4 billion AlphawaveDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → acquisition, adding high-speed connectivity and custom-chip capabilities, and announced a custom AI-inference collaboration with Amazon.
The signal: Akeana's server-class RISC-V IP and engineers could help Qualcomm build its own CPU designs and lean less on established architectures as it chases data-center customers. For now, the significance is strategic rather than proven: with terms undisclosed and no disclosed customer commitments or product timeline, the commercial payoff remains to be seen.
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