Radio & Tv Broadcasting & Communications Equipment · DE · CIK 804328
Develops and commercializes foundational technologies for AI, computing, and wireless connectivity, powering devices and licensing intellectual property
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What Changed
Risk factors · Nov 6, 2024 → Nov 5, 2025
86 added · 104 removed between the two most recent 10-Ks. The risks a company starts — or stops — disclosing are often the story.
Newly disclosed
Certain of our largest mobile handset customers (for example, Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi) develop their own integrated circuit products, which they have in the past utilized, and/or currently utilize, in certain of their devices.
At the same time, physical and industrial AI are beginning to reshape industries and provide new opportunities from robotics to manufacturing, logistics and energy, through embedded intelligence and enabling automation, real-time insights, autonomous systems and adaptive decision-making at the edge.
It introduces key improvements for continued 5G commercialization, supports a range of services beyond mobile broadband, and lays the groundwork for 6G (sixth generation). 5G Advanced is a transformative step, integrating AI-enabled device performance and network performance advancements, satellite communications and lower cost devices to drive innovation across the 5G ecosystem.
Building on this foundation, AI is helping further transform the next generation of vehicles by embedding intelligence that enables vehicles to actively learn from their environments to support safety, optimize vehicle energy efficiency and provide features such as interactive in-vehicle assistance that personalize the driving and passenger experience.
Additionally, smart glasses and wearables, such as smartwatches, earbuds and other form factors are being transformed into personal AI devices as they transition from simply extending smartphone experiences to providing new and unique personalized AI, connecting the user directly to the AI agent and model.
The combination of IoT devices with connectivity, edge-computing, on-device AI and power-optimized and/or precise location tracking, along with cloud capabilities, is driving advancements in industries such as retail, transportation logistics, manufacturing, energy and utilities, smart home and video.
We also publish on our website a variety of reports and resources related to our corporate responsibility policies, programs, goals and initiatives, including our most recent Qualcomm Corporate Responsibility Report and reports on sustainability, responsible sourcing, corporate citizenship and responsible AI, among others.
We are also subject to order and shipment uncertainties that could negatively impact our results of operations. 14 • There are numerous risks associated with the operation and control of our manufacturing facilities, including a higher portion of fixed costs relative to a fabless model; environmental compliance and liability; impacts related to climate change; exposure to natural disasters, health crises, geopolitical conflicts and cyber-attacks; timely supply of equipment and materials; and various manufacturing issues.
While we continue to invest significant resources toward advancements of foundational technologies, including wireless connectivity, high-performance and low-power computing and on-device AI, we also invest in new and expanded product areas, and industries and applications beyond mobile handsets, by utilizing our existing technical and business expertise and through acquisitions or other strategic transactions.
The majority of cellular connections today are OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access)-based technologies. 5G heavily leverages OFDMA-based technologies, while most of the OFDMA-based technologies deployed prior to 2020 are classified as 4G technology, including LTE (Long-Term Evolution). 5G is designed to transform the role of wireless technologies and incorporates advancements on 3G/4G features, including device-to-device capabilities. 5G has the ability to target diverse services with very different technical requirements (from enhanced mobile broadband to massive IoT to mission-critical communications), utilize diverse types of spectrum (from low bands to millimeter wave (mmWave) bands) and support diverse types of deployment scenarios.
Additionally, certain customers have adopted, and other customers may adopt, policies that require us to achieve certain sustainability, climate or other environmental, social and governance (ESG)-related targets, such as our 2040 net-zero global GHG emissions commitment and our interim GHG emissions reduction goals.
Companies that provide on-device AI, high-performance and low-power computing and wireless connectivity-based integrated circuit products and/or software are generally competitors or potential competitors.
No longer disclosed
For example, analysts estimate that 46% of smartphones sold in 2027 will be generative AI capable, up from 19% in 2024 (Counterpoint, October 2024).
By 2027, analysts expect that at least 50% of PCs sold will be AI capable, compared to 22% of PCs in 2024 (consensus of certain third party analysts as of October 1, 2024).
Certain of our largest customers (for example, Samsung) develop their own integrated circuit products, which they have in the past utilized, and currently utilize, in certain of their devices and we expect will in the future utilize in some or all of their devices, rather than our products (and they have and may continue to sell their integrated circuit products to third parties, discretely or together with certain of their other products, in competition with us).
If revenues derived from these customers or licensees decrease or the timing of such revenues fluctuates, our business and results of operations could be negatively affected ” and “ Our business, particularly our semiconductor business, may suffer as a result of our customers vertically integrating (i.e., developing their own integrated circuit products).” For example, we previously sold 4G and other integrated circuit products, including Wi-Fi products, but excluding 5G products, to Huawei under export licenses from the U.S.
It introduces key improvements for continued 5G commercialization, supports a range of services 7 beyond mobile broadband, and lays the groundwork for the upcoming 6G platform. 5G Advanced is a transformative step, integrating features like wireless AI to drive innovation across the 5G ecosystem.
The combination of IoT devices with connectivity, computing, on-device AI and power-optimized and precise location tracking along with the cloud are helping to bring near real-time data and insights in industries such as retail, tracking and logistics and energy.
Release 18 marked the start of 5G Advanced, with projects designed to strengthen the end-to-end 5G system foundation (such as advanced downlink and uplink MIMO, enhanced mobility, mobile integrated access and backhaul, smart repeater, evolved duplexing, AI and machine learning data-driven designs and green networks) and to proliferate 5G to virtually all devices and use cases (such as boundless XR, RedCap evolution, expanded sidelink, expanded positioning, drones and expanded satellite communication and multicast).
Release 19, which is currently under development, builds on the 5G Advanced standards to deliver new 5G advancements through continued system enhancements (e.g., sub-band full-duplex (SBFD), multi-hop sidelink relays), further use case diversification (e.g., Ambient IoT), and new advanced capabilities, including standardized wireless AI framework and potential applications, and ultra-low power receiver.
Analysts estimate that 39% of new light duty vehicles sold globally in 2027 will have Level 2 (i.e., partial driving automation) or higher autonomy, compared to an estimated 20% of new light duty vehicles sold globally in 2024 (TechInsights, September 2024).
OFDMA-based technologies are characterized by their access method allowing several users to share the same frequency band and time by allocating different subcarriers to individual users. 5G heavily leverages OFDMA-based technologies, while most of the OFDMA-based technologies deployed prior to 2020 are classified as 4G technology.
The first 5G specification, 3GPP Release 15, was initially completed in 2018. 5G is designed to transform the role of wireless technologies and incorporates advancements on 3G/4G features, including device-to-device capabilities and the use of all different types of spectrum (including licensed, unlicensed and shared spectrum). 3GPP specifications also provide enhancements specifically for C-V2X (cellular vehicle-to-everything), which includes both direct communication (vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-infrastructure and vehicle-to-pedestrian) in dedicated spectrum that is independent of a cellular network and cellular communications with networks in traditional mobile broadband licensed spectrum.
Our 2025 Goals related to corporate responsibility include, among others: • Reducing our absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions from global operations by 30%, from a 2014 base year. • Reducing power consumption by 10% every year in our flagship Snapdragon Mobile Platform products (given equivalent features). • Having 100% of our primary semiconductor manufacturing suppliers audited every two years for conformance to our Supplier Code of Conduct, from a 2020 base year.