Qualcomm and Huawei have announced a multi-year patent license agreement that reverses the longstanding financial flow between the two companies. Under the deal, Qualcomm will pay Huawei for rights to its patent portfolio, a first since Huawei began licensing Qualcomm's technology in 2001. The agreement, described as a "broad patent license agreement," also includes the outright sale of some of Huawei's US patents to Qualcomm, covering compute, AI, networking and other technologies. The number and value of the patents were not disclosed.
The announcement reflects Huawei's growing patent strength. The company says its total patent licensing revenue, counting from its first such income from Motorola in 2011, will exceed USD 6.9 billion with the Qualcomm deal. Since 2021, Huawei's licensing business has generated more revenue than the company pays out to other patent holders. As of 2025, Huawei held 165,000 active granted patents worldwide.
The relationship between the two firms has been shaped by US sanctions. Qualcomm previously supplied chips for some Huawei phones, but the US government revoked Qualcomm's license to sell certain hardware to Huawei in 2024. Huawei's royalty payments to Qualcomm stopped in 2018, and a back royalty dispute was settled in 2020. Huawei later halted Qualcomm royalty recognition in its revenue by early 2025.
Under the new agreement, both companies commit to licensing on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) principles. The deal involves no other business cooperation, meaning no chip sales are included. The patent purchase requires regulatory approval before closing. Qualcomm also recently renewed its patent license with Apple, effective April 1, 2027.