Behind the Silicon: Snapdragon X

[InkeyZero]

This seems positive for
@Qualcomm
... Pure speculation here...

If they have decided on the other two, them #qcom might be in the clear, but sure yet, since it is the contract that Nuvia signed, whether they are in the clear or not...

Again pure speculation... We willsee

Also, judfe suggestes that if they donbreak the deadlock, the case will remain open and may be trailed again with another jury from the same jury pool...

So, back to tick tock, tick tock...

[InkeyZero]

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Quedan asuntos pendientes. Preguntas por contestar, soluciones a asuntos como la licencia que Arm le revocó a Qualcomm.

Parece que queda para enero.

[InkeyZero]

[InkeyZero]

[InkeyZero]

[InkeyZero]

Big late-breaking news for
@Qualcomm
--- while a jury was unable to reach a verdict on whether #Nuvia, a startup acquired by Qualcomm for $1.4 billion in 2021, breached its license agreement with
@Arm
prior to the acquisition. Despite this deadlock, the jury found that Qualcomm did not violate Nuvia's license with Arm. This positive outcome is significant for Qualcomm, as it allows the company to continue utilizing Nuvia's technology in its chips without the need to renegotiate licensing agreements with Arm. Such a renegotiation could have given Arm substantial leverage and potentially impacted Qualcomm's product development and market strategy.

In my view, this legal battle has broader implications for the semiconductor industry, particularly concerning intellectual property licensing practices and the dynamics between chip designers and their partners. The trial's outcome may influence future negotiations and collaborations within the tech sector.

@Snapdragon

[InkeyZero]

Although main news is out, here are my summary & detailed #blog of #qcomarm trial

- The final day of the trial was a slow-moving soap opera, most of the day with a nail-biting finish that brought victory to @Qualcomm

- The day started slow, with the Jury resuming deliberations and remedy discussion scheduling. Around 11 am, the judge summoned the parties back into the room and informed them that the Jury was deadlocked on Question 1 (Whether Nuvia breached Nuvia ALA) and had decided on Question 2 (Whether Qualcomm breached Nuvia ALA) and Question 3 (Are Qualcomm products using Nuvia technology covered under Qualcomm ALA?)

- After giving deadlock-related jury instructions, the jury was sent back with additional time. At around 1 pm, they came back without any change. At that point, the judge decided to accept the two decisions and announced the verdict:
Question 1 – No decision; Question 2 – Qualcomm won; Question 3 – Qualcomm won

- Before the decision, @Arm 's lawyer tried to convince the judge not to accept the two verdicts, but none of the arguments persuaded her. Additionally, the judge put a high bar for retrial. She will order mediation and is not keen to see them back in court quickly. That makes this case a sure win for Qualcomm.

- With that, Qualcomm kept its impressive streak of winning major court trials. Recently, it won against FTC, won one, and settled another case against @Apple, and now against Arm (actually SoftBank, which owns 90% of Arm).

#TantraNotes #blog for details:

https://bit.ly/4gD8Oqm

#licensing

[InkeyZero]

https://www.tantraanalyst.com/ta/qualco ... mm+vs.+Arm

Highlights of Day 5:

• When the court opened, the judge asked both parties whether they wanted to discuss remedies today before the jury verdict or postpone it to sometime in January. Bot lawyers choose the latter
• About two hours into the day, the judge (through the clerk) asked both parties whether she should check with the jury on progress. But the Arm lawyer declined
• Around 11 am, the judge informed everyone that the jury was deadlocked on Question 1 and had decisions on Question 2 and Question 3
• The jury was summoned back to the courtroom, and the Judge gave them jury instructions related to deadlock and explained what happens if they don’t break the deadlock (retrial with a jury from the same jury pool)
• The jury was given another hour or so to see whether they could converge on Question 1
• It was pretty clear to me at that stage that Qualcomm had won on Question 2 and Question 3 because if they had not, Question 1 would have been an easy decision
• Around 1 pm, the court reconvened. The judge said nothing had changed, and she was ready to accept the decisions for Question 2 and Question 3.
• Arm’s lawyer objected to that, saying Q1 and Q2 are linked, so she should not accept the partial verdict, quoting a possible precedence (Palo Alto vs. Juniper case)
• The judge asked for details. Arm team scrambled to get some specifics, but she was unconvinced about the relevance of the cited precedence
• Arm’s lawyer suggested bringing back the jury on Monday, which the Judge summarily rejected, saying they had already spent more than 10 hours on deliberations and had decided on two questions unanimously. She added that Arm will have a chance for a retrial
• Finally, the jury was brought to the room, and the judge asked each of the jurors whether they could decide on Question 1 if more time was given. All of them said no.
• At that point, she received the verdict from the jury, and the clerk read them out
• After the jury left, the judge came back to the room and discussed the next steps
• She thought the case should have been settled instead of coming to trial
• She will not entertain a quick retrial to come to her court. Instead, she will order mediation for the companies. She even offered to recommend good mediators who have worked on complex cases. But all of that will be next year
• With that, the judge wished happy holidays for everyone and dismissed the court

[InkeyZero]

Arm: "We intend to seek a retrial due to the jury’s deadlock" $QCOM $ARM

Arm vs Qualcomm looks headed for retrial, the jury couldn't determine whether Nuvia breached its agreement with Arm, the issue at the heart of the lawsuit and critically linked to other issue the jury somehow was able to reach a verdict on — This casts a large shadow on this trial's results, and will likely be brought to the forefront in the retrial and/or appeals.

"I don't think either side had a clear victory or would have had a clear victory if this case is tried again," Judge Noreika told the parties $ARM $QCOM. Judge Noreika, who presided over the case encouraged Arm and Qualcomm to mediate their dispute. A week of courtroom arguments and deliberations ended in a mistrial after the jury failed to resolve one of three questions put before it. The outcome means the case could be tried again in the future - something Arm vowed to pursue in a statement following the verdict...
@Reuters reported, link in reply.

Based on the jury's decision in the Qualcomm vs. ARM case:

Jury's Findings: The jury found that Qualcomm did not breach its license agreement with ARM when it acquired Nuvia, and that Qualcomm's chips are properly licensed under its existing agreement with ARM. However, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on whether Nuvia itself breached its license agreement with ARM, leading to a mistrial on this point.
Implications for Termination:
Qualcomm's License: Given the jury's conclusion that Qualcomm did not breach the agreement, ARM does not have a clear-cut legal basis to terminate Qualcomm's license based on the claims adjudicated in this trial. The part of the license directly related to Qualcomm's actions was affirmed as valid.
Nuvia's License Issue: Since the jury was deadlocked on Nuvia's potential breach, this aspect remains unresolved. ARM's ability to terminate the license based on this part of the dispute might hinge on the outcome of a potential retrial or further legal proceedings. If ARM can prove in a retrial that Nuvia breached its license, this could potentially give ARM a basis to terminate the agreement, assuming the terms of the license allow for termination due to a breach by an acquired entity.
Legal and Contractual Considerations:
Contractual Terms: The right to terminate would be based on the specific terms of the licensing agreement, which might include provisions for termination in case of a breach by Qualcomm or its subsidiaries/acquisitions like Nuvia. If the license agreement stipulates that breaches by subsidiaries can lead to termination, ARM might argue for this right.
Notice and Process: ARM has already issued a 60-day notice of cancellation, indicating they believe they have contractual grounds for termination. However, this action is now under legal scrutiny. The notice might be seen as premature or an attempt to exert pressure, especially since the jury's decision did not conclusively support ARM's position on Qualcomm's license.
Strategic and Legal Outlook:
ARM's stated intent to seek a retrial suggests they believe they can still challenge Qualcomm's use of the license, potentially leading to termination if they can prove a breach or other contractual violation by Nuvia.
The judge's recommendation for mediation rather than a retrial indicates that there might be room for negotiation or settlement, which could influence whether the license is actually terminated.

In conclusion, based on the jury's decision, ARM does not have a straightforward legal basis to terminate Qualcomm's license due to the part of the case where Qualcomm was found not to have breached the agreement. However, the unresolved question about Nuvia's license means that ARM could potentially seek termination if they win on this claim in a future legal proceeding, or if they can negotiate terms for termination or a new agreement. The actual ability to terminate would also depend on the specifics of the contract, the outcome of any further legal actions, and whether Qualcomm breaches any other terms of the license in the future.

[InkeyZero]

El artículo menciona la incógnita que levanta el hecho que Arm haya decidido demandar a Qualcomm, y toca el tema de los cambios en la industria de semiconductores que ha llevado a las empresas a cambiar sus estrategias, y en el caso de Arm a diversificarse y buscar aumentar los porcentjes de royalties que exigen de sus ahora clientes, antes socios.

Esto pica y se extiende, aunque Qualcomm tiene una licencia que asumo seguirá siendo válida después de este veredicto, a pesar de la amenaza de Arm de revocarla, ya que el jurado sentenció que Qualcomm no violó los términos de la misma.

[InkeyZero]

2024 was a big year for Windows on Arm
With rumors of Nvidia entering the CPU market, 2025 might be an even bigger year for Microsoft’s Arm efforts.

I still can’t quite believe that I’m using an Arm-powered Windows laptop every day. After more than a decade of trying to make Windows on Arm a reality, Microsoft and Qualcomm finally nailed it this year with Copilot Plus PCs. These new laptops have excellent battery life and great performance — and the app compatibility issues that have plagued Windows on Arm are mostly a thing of the past (as long as you’re not a gamer). Microsoft wanted 2024 to be “the year of the AI PC,” but I think it was very much the year of Windows on Arm. If 2024 was anything to go by, 2025 is going to be even bigger for Windows on Arm.

Por cierto, el acuerdo de exclusividad entre Microsoft y Qualcomm en lo concerniente a Windows en dispositivos Arm muere con el año, lo que probablemente abre las puertas a que además de Nvidia y Mediatek entrando en el ruedo, veamos también en 2025 Windows en los Apple silicon. ya en una ocasión alguien de Apple había dicho que no eran ellos los que no


Aparentemente la licencia que Arm otorgó a Qualcomm literalmente incluye trabajo realizado por terceros, no solo por la propia Qualcomm: "work done by itself and others".

[InkeyZero]

[InkeyZero]

Aprovechando el CES2025 Qualcomm apuesta por SOC de 8 núcleos en dispositivos más económicos.

[InkeyZero]

Uno de los anuncios de Nvidia en el CES2025:

Emplea un sistema operativo basado en Linux.

The GB10, which was developed in partnership with MediaTek, features an Nvidia Blackwell GPU connected to a 20-core Nvidia Grace CPU. Inside the Project Digits enclosure, the chips are hooked up to a 128GB pool of memory and up to 4TB of flash storage.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/06/nvidi ... -computer/

At CES 2025 in Las Vegas, Nvidia unveiled Project Digits, a “personal AI supercomputer” that provides access to the company’s Grace Blackwell hardware platform in a compact form factor.

“[Project Digits] runs the entire Nvidia AI stack — all of Nvidia software runs on this,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said onstage during a press conference on Monday. “It’s a cloud computing platform that sits on your desk … It’s even a workstation, if you like it to be.”

Designed for AI researchers, data scientists, and students, Project Digits packs Nvidia’s new GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which delivers up to a petaflop of computing performance for prototyping, fine-tuning, and running AI models.

Nvidia claims a single Project Digits unit can run models up to 200 billion parameters in size. Parameters roughly correspond to a model’s problem-solving skills, and models with more parameters generally perform better than those with fewer parameters.

The GB10, which was developed in partnership with MediaTek, features an Nvidia Blackwell GPU connected to a 20-core Nvidia Grace CPU. Inside the Project Digits enclosure, the chips are hooked up to a 128GB pool of memory and up to 4TB of flash storage.

Nvidia says that two Project Digits machines can be linked together to run up to 405-billion-parameter models, if a job calls for it. Project Digits can deliver a standalone experience, as alluded to earlier, or connect to a primary Windows or Mac PC.

But it’s not cheap. Project Digits machines, which run Nvidia’s Linux-based DGX OS, will be available starting in May from “top partners” for $3,000, the company said.

So it won’t be just anyone who can afford a Project Digits unit of their own. Huang thinks that there’s a market, however.

“With Project Digits, the Grace Blackwell Superchip comes to millions of developers,” he said in a statement. “Placing an AI supercomputer on the desks of every data scientist, AI researcher and student empowers them to engage and shape the age of AI.”

Supercomputing is available on your desk with
@nvidia
's tiny nano-server Project DIGITS. #AI supercomputer for home use.

Capabilities:
Runs AI models with up to 200B parameters.
Link two units to handle 405B parameter models.
Runs on standard wall power.
Linux-based #NVIDIA DGX OS Full NVIDIA
AI software stack preinstalled

Hardware:
New GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip.
1 petaflop of AI performance with FP4 precision.
Grace CPU with 20 ARM cores (in collaboration with MediaTek).
Latest-gen CUDA cores & 5th-gen Tensor Cores,
128GB unified LPDDR5 memory.
Up to 4TB NVMe storage.
NVIDIA ConnectX networking.

Really built for:
AI model prototyping.
Fine-tuning inference workloads.
Data science.
Edge application development.

Available May 2025, starting at $3,000. A milestone in democratizing AI development by bringing data center-class computing to individual researchers, and developers. #CES2025 #Web3

[InkeyZero]

No podía faltar la discusión en Reddit

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