Huawei and Qualcomm reach multi-year patent license agreement covering 5G, computing, artificial intelligence and network fields

Abstract:

On October 5, Huawei and Qualcomm announced a multi-year, extensive patent license agreement covering multiple technical fields such as 5G, computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and networks. According to the South China Morning Post,

This is the first time that US communications chip giant Qualcomm has agreed to pay Huawei to license and purchase patents

According to announcements from both parties, the agreement includes cross-licensing of patent portfolios in related technology fields, and

Qualcomm’s purchase of some of Huawei’s U.S. patents in computing, AI, networking and other technology fields

This is the first 5G patent license agreement signed by both parties, and it is also the first "revenue conversion" agreement signed by Huawei and Qualcomm in recent years.

The relevant transaction will be completed after obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals. According to the South China Morning Post, Huawei stated that the transaction does not involve other business cooperation and the transaction amount was not disclosed.

The two parties have had patent licensing transactions before. Huawei and Qualcomm resolved a patent dispute in 2020, when Huawei agreed to pay Qualcomm a historical license fee of

US$1.8 billion

John Han, executive vice president and general manager of Qualcomm’s technology licensing business, said that this agreement reflects Qualcomm’s recognition of Huawei’s continued innovation and intellectual property rights in 5G and other technology fields. He also said that Qualcomm continues to invest in basic wireless technology research and development to promote the intergenerational evolution of mobile communication technology. This agreement once again confirms the industry's recognition of Qualcomm's 5G technology leadership and its 5G standard essential patent licensing project.

Huawei Chief Intellectual Property Officer Fan Zhiyong said that Huawei has continued to invest in basic research and development for decades, promoting innovation and progress in mobile communications and other technical fields. Huawei has made extensive contributions to 4G and 5G standards, including the use of polar codes and signal transmission technologies that are close to physical limits. He said that this agreement reflects the value of Huawei's innovation and recognizes Qualcomm's fundamental contribution to modern communications technology.

Both parties announced that the agreement reflects the two companies’ joint commitment to intellectual property rights and their stance on patent licensing in compliance with fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) principles.

Huawei has continued to obtain R&D returns through patent licensing in recent years. According to supplementary materials provided by Huawei,

from 2007 to the end of 2025, the company’s cumulative R&D investment exceeded 1.8 trillion yuan

As of the end of 2025, Huawei has more than 165,000 valid authorized patents worldwide, more than 90% of which are invention patents; it has obtained more than 30,000 authorized patents in the United States.

Huawei said that it has signed more than 270 patent license agreements with major information and communication technology manufacturers in the United States, Europe, Japan, South Korea and other places. As of the end of 2025, 53 Fortune Global 500 companies have directly or indirectly obtained authorizations from Huawei, and more than 3.2 billion 5G equipment have obtained Huawei patent authorizations. Previously, Huawei has reached patent licensing agreements with Amazon, Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, OPPO, vivo and Xiaomi.