In sum – what you need to know
Gen AI R&D push – Qualcomm has bought MovianAI, the generative AI division of VinAI, to enhance its R&D and integrate advanced AI into smartphones, computers, vehicles.
AI synergies – The deal follows Qualcomm’s purchase of tinyML specialist Edge Impulse, where one focuses on large-scale AI for smartphones and the other optimises AI for IoT.
Vietnamese expertise – Dr. Hung Bui, founder of MovianAI, formerly with DeepMind, will join Qualcomm, along with MovianAI’s ‘powerhouse’ gen AI team in Hanoi.
Qualcomm has announced the acquisition of Hanoi-based generative AI research specialist MovianAI, a former division of VinAI, and a part of Vietnamese industrial tech conglomerate Vingroup. The fee has not been disclosed. It follows Qualcomm’s agreement, last month, to purchase US-based Edge Impulse, which makes miniaturised machine learning (ML) tools for microcontrollers (MCUs) in resource-constrained IoT modules. Qualcomm has also recently picked up the LTE portfolio of France-based IoT specialist Sequans, at the end of last summer.
The deal for MovianAI will see the division’s founder, Dr Hung Bui, formerly of Google DeepMind, join Qualcomm, and continue to lead the team in Hanoi – described by the California chipmaker in a press statement as a “powerhouse” generative AI team pushing “boundaries” with “customised AI models and engineering”. Apart from generative AI, its research focuses on machine learning, computer vision, and natural language processing. Qualcomm said the combination will “expand its ability to drive extraordinary inventions”.
Bui said: “We are ready to contribute to Qualcomm’s mission of making breakthroughs in fundamental AI research and scale them across industries.” Qualcomm has worked closely with the Vietnamese technology ecosystem for 20 years, it said. It stated: “Qualcomm’s innovations in the areas of 5G, AI, IoT and automotive have helped to fuel the extraordinary growth and success of Vietnam’s information and communication technology industry and assisted the entry of Vietnamese companies into the global marketplace.”
In recent months, Qualcomm has moved to reorganise its IoT strategy and portfolio to combine hardware, software, and services to “scale across multiple verticals”, including with the introduction of a new brand, Dragonwing, to give its IoT solutions their own identity and to stand apart from its regular Snapdragon consumer units. The deal with Edge Impulse fits squarely into its Dragonwing bracket; the new one for MovianAI is to “expedite the creation of advanced AI” in “products like smartphones, computers, vehicles, and more”, it said.
There are synergies between the two deals insofar as one advances Qualcomm’s machine learning and language processing capabilities (MovianAI) and the other extends its machine learning knowhow for embedded systems (Edge Impulse). Despite their different research and commercial focuses, MovianAI focuses on large-scale AI models for smartphones and vehicles, and Edge Impulse optimises AI for smaller, resource-constrained devices – giving Qualcomm new ‘end-to-end’ expertise across the AI value chain.
Jilei Hou, senior vice president of engineering at Qualcomm, said: “This acquisition underscores our commitment to dedicating the necessary resources to R&D that makes us the driving force behind the next wave of AI innovation. By bringing in high-caliber talent from VinAI, we are strengthening our ability to deliver cutting-edge AI solutions that will benefit a wide range of industries and consumers.”
