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)
- STM32 – Arduino UNO headers and JMISC connector:
- 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 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.
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I like the Idea of this board.
I don’t know if I like Qualcomm “eating” Arduino.
Hope, that “Arduino will retain its independent brand, tools, and mission” is what will happen and not an empty phrase.
Vain hope I’d say. Past experience teaches us that big companies buying small ones inevitably distorts them beyond recognition and end up driving them into the ground. But I’d love to be proven wrong.
Specs and pricing are really good but the IO is painful.
Specs and pricing are really good but the IO is painful.
Is Qualcomm acquiring STM too?
That would mean nothing less than the end of the world
There goes the neighborhood
My thoughts exactly. Goodbye Arduino, and Rest in Peace — it’s been good to know you before you were sold out to another Big Bad Company interested in nothing else but pocketing big bucks and screwing the community. Hopefully volunteers et al can at least fork enough of the tools and etc for the project to continue being useful to hobbyists and DIYers after Qualcomm distorts it beyond recognition and inevitably drives it into the ground.
The problem with such “cheap” boards with little IOs:
They’re ok if they fit your application perfectly, but if you need additional IOs (HDMI, Ethernet, M2, etc.) you have to buy a lot of expensive extension boards, and in the end you’ll wish you had bought a complete board instead.
Desktop I/O isn’t good, but if you get the right USB-C dongle, maybe you can power it, get 1080p video, and enough bandwidth for some extra ports all with one cable.
Sounds as if they are also gearing up to better compete with Raspberry Pi for their slice in the education and maker markets.
“education and maker markets”? I don’t think Qualcomm cares about that. I think this is about the professional market where Raspi is doing well.
I think it would be better to have two separate boards. Use the USB as the Bridge, include SWD via the USB bridge. This way you can trade out micro-controllers boards. Also, there will be next round for expansion boards to include cameras etc.
Arduino had a nice run. How long before Qualcomm starts advantaging their silicon and disadvantaging others?
Qualcomm != FOSS and OSHW
We will just see closed source bootloaders and IDEs with subscription models.
Arduino will be dead in couple of years like Autodesk did with Eagle.
Big companies never care for hobby users.
Qualcomm just wants to ride Arduino community to compete with Broadcom.
So true tsvetan, unfortunately you will be right!
Why Qualcomm had to kill Arduino instead of getting their act together and support their own silicon properly.
Actually, Uno never really had that many GPIOs to begin with, so this one is ok.
I think if you count the ones on the bottom, it might be more than the original Uno?
Much more powerful MCU as well. Not sure what’s the deal with that massive LED array, unless it is mapped to each IO(like PLC), not sure how useful it’s going to be. Instead of LED array, more connectors would have been better.
Also, good job on the bottom side connector being much more usable than Portenta high density connectors. These look usable with jumper wires, the Portenta ones could only be used with dedicated boards, so you either had to design your own PCB with the matching connectors, and the tolerance on those are tight, so was nightmare to hand-solder those things.
Pricing looks suitable as well.
I hope they make a Nano version of it soon, maybe creative placement of similar high density connectors or longer form factor.
Isnt / wasnt portenta for pro market? Probably the market qc is targeting while starving the hobbyist market with dwindling support for the ide.
0.1″ headers are nonsense for a real product, unless paired with proper mechanical spacers, then it’s still a waste of board real estate.
Like to see one in similar tiny size form factor as the Raspberry Pi Zero series.
We need a fork, Qualcomm is an aggressive patent troll. Zero money for those guys.
Can only second that!
🤮 im not worried about the hardware, that is a simple task, we also handsoldered AVRs back before Arduino was there. But the framework is outstanding and would be a pity if that would get vandalized by a notorious anti OS giant