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Fifteen EU nations have requested the EU competition watchdog to assess the deal.
The US FTC plans to launch a thorough investigation into Qualcomm’s acquisition of Israeli auto-chip producer Autotalks. This move follows Qualcomm’s announcement in May about the purchase, which aims to boost its presence in the automotive sector, particularly in V2X communications technology used for both human-driven and autonomous vehicles.
EU regulators announced last week that the US chipmaker must get permission from the EU to go ahead with its planned takeover.
The EU competition authority mentioned that 15 EU countries, such as France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, and Sweden, have requested a review of the deal.
Requests for comment were met with silence from Qualcomm, Autotalks, and the FTC.
In August, Qualcomm disappointed by forecasting lower-than-expected fourth-quarter sales, attributing the decline to sluggish consumer spending on devices like smartphones due to the global economic slowdown.
Autotalks’ technology is set to be integrated into Qualcomm’s self-driving solution, known as Snapdragon Digital Chassis. Last September, Qualcomm reported a substantial increase of over $10 billion in its automotive business pipeline, reaching $30 billion. This growth was attributed to rising demand from automakers incorporating driver-assistance systems into their vehicles.
With its achievements attributed to the Snapdragon Digital Chassis, the firm engages in fierce competition against Intel’s Mobileye Global and Nvidia to capture a portion of the market.
