Qualcomm acquires Arduino, introduces Arduino UNO Q "dual-brain" SBC

Qualcomm has just signed an agreement to acquire Arduino, and the goal of the purchase is to “combine Qualcomm’s leading-edge products and technologies with Arduino’s vast ecosystem and community to empower businesses, students, entrepreneurs, tech professionals, educators, and enthusiasts to quickly and easily bring ideas to life.”

They also took the opportunity to launch the Arduino UNO Q “dual-brain” SBC powered by a Qualcomm DragonWing QRB2210 SoC running Linux and an STMicro STM32U585 MCU for real-time control, as well as the Arduino App Lab integrated development environment to “unify the Arduino journey across Real‑time OS, Linux, Python, and AI flows”.

Will the acquisition change anything?

I suppose we’ll see more and more Arduino boards based on Qualcomm processors, but the company also promises to preserve Arduino’s open approach and community:

Arduino will retain its independent brand, tools, and mission, while continuing to support a wide range of microcontrollers and microprocessors from multiple semiconductor providers as it enters this next chapter within the Qualcomm family. Following this acquisition, the 33M+ active users in the Arduino community will gain access to Qualcomm Technologies’ powerful technology stack and global reach. Entrepreneurs, businesses, tech professionals, students, educators, and hobbyists will be empowered to rapidly prototype and test new solutions, with a clear path to commercialization supported by Qualcomm Technologies’ advanced technologies and extensive partner ecosystem.

I assume this should also mean more powerful single board computers and fewer MCU-class boards, but we’ll have to see how it progresses. Note that the acquisition is not 100% assured, as it requires regulatory approval, but I don’t see how it would be an issue in that specific case.

Arduino UNO Q “dual-brain” SBC

Arduino UNO Q specifications:

Application SoC/MPU – Qualcomm QRB2210
- CPU – Quad-core Cortex-A53 processor at up to 2.0 GHz
- GPU – Adreno 702 GPU at 845 MHz with support for OpenGL ES 3.1, Vulkan 1.1, OpenCL 2.0
- DSP – Hexagon QDSP6 v66
- VPU – 1080p 30 fps encode / 1080p 30fps decode
- ISP – 2x Image Signal Processor (13 MP + 13 MP or 25 MP) @ 30 fps
Real-time MCU – STMicro STM32U585 Arm Cortex-M33 microcontroller @ 160 MHz with 2048 KB flash, 786 KB RAM
System Memory and Storage
- ABX00162 SKU – 2GB RAM and 16GB eMMC flash
- ABX00173 SKU – 4GB RAM and 32GB eMMC flash
Video Output – Via USB-C port or HDMI via USB-C dongle. MIPI DSI on header
Wireless – Dual-band WiFi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1 via WCBN3536A module
USB – 1x USB Type-C port for power, programming, and video output
Expansion
- STM32 – Arduino UNO headers and JMISC connector:
  - 47x GPIOs, including 22x on JANALOG/JDIGITAL (Arduino headers) and 25x on JMISC
  - 6x PWM shared with GPIOs
  - 16x interrupts
  - 3x USART, 2x UART, 4x I2C, 3x SPI
  - CAN Bus (FDCAN)
  - 1x PSSI (Parallel Synchronous Slave Interface)
  - 2x SAI
  - 6x 14-bit ADC input
  - 2x 12-bit DAC
  - 2x OPAMP
- Qualcomm – JMISC and JMEDIA connectors with
  - Up to 12x GPIO
  - Display – MIPI DSI bus
  - Audio – Microphone IN / Headphone OUT / Line OUT and Ear OUT
  - Camera – Dual MIPI CSI
- Qwiic I2C connector
- I/O operating voltage – +3.3 VDC MCU (+5 VDC tolerant) | +1.8 VDC MPU
- DC Current per I/O pin – 20 mA (JANALOG and JMEDIA)
Debugging – JCTL MPU Remote Debug connector
Misc
- STM32 – 2x RGB LEDs, 13×8 RGB LED matrix
- Qualcomm – 2x RGB LEDs, power button
Power Supply
- 5V DC up to 3A via USB-C port
- 7 to 24V DC via Vin pin
Dimensions – 68.58 x 53.34 mm (Arduino UNO form factor)

The Qualcomm QRB2210 microprocessor runs Debian Linux OS with upstream support, while the STM32U5 microcontroller runs Arduino Code on Zephyr OS. You’ll find the pinout diagram, datasheet, schematics, CAD Files, STEP files, and tutorials for beginners and advanced users on the documentation website.

Arduino App Lab

Since it’s not just a microcontroller board, using the Arduino IDE is not enough, and that’s why the Arduino App Lab was introduced for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It will allow you to program the MCU, MPU, and leverage AI within a single user interface using blocks called “Bricks” which are similar to libraries, Arduino and/or Python apps, and more.

The documentation is up, and the Arduino App Lab should soon show up in the software section on the Arduino website.

The Arduino UNO Q SBC (ABX00162) can be pre-ordered today for $44.00 or 47.60 Euros including VAT on the Arduino store. Shipping is scheduled to start on October 24, 2025. The product page and press release may have a few more details.

Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft)

Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.