Insight: Qualcomm Accelerates AI Datacenter Strategy with Alphawave Semi Acquisition

Qualcomm boosts its datacenter push with Alphawave Semi, adding high-speed connectivity IP to power next-gen AI performance.

Qualcomm has finalized its $2.4 billion acquisition of Alphawave Semi, a key player in high-speed wired connectivity. This move significantly bolsters Qualcomm’s expansion into the datacenter market by integrating critical SerDes and interconnect IP with its existing Qualcomm Oryon CPU and Hexagon NPU platforms. By bringing these technologies in-house, Qualcomm aims to optimize performance and energy efficiency for next-generation AI workloads, positioning itself as a full-stack provider of AI compute and connectivity solutions. Tony Pialis, co-founder and former CEO of Alphawave Semi, will lead Qualcomm's datacenter business, signaling a deep integration of Alphawave’s leadership into Qualcomm’s long-term infrastructure strategy.