Qualcomm has sealed a high-value contract with Amazon to supply specialized Artificial Intelligence (AI) chips under a long-term agreement. This deal projects a product volume for data centers of up to US$ 60 billion and grants the e-commerce giant the right to acquire approximately US$ 4 billion worth of shares in the manufacturer.
This move intensifies Qualcomm's efforts to establish a presence in the cloud infrastructure and AI segment. In turn, the pact guarantees Amazon custom-developed chips for its AI infrastructure on Amazon Web Services (AWS), allowing Qualcomm to gain ground in a market currently dominated by Nvidia.
According to the established terms, Amazon has the option to order up to US$ 60 billion (equivalent to about R$ 307.8 billion) in AI chips and related items for data centers. In a regulatory filing, Qualcomm announced that it gave Amazon the right to buy up to 25 million shares at US$ 161.26 each (approximately R$ 827.26).
The issuance of these shares will be done in stages, tied to the chip orders placed by Amazon. Following the announcement, Qualcomm's shares rose by over 4%, while Bloomberg reported a 9.7% jump in pre-market trading in New York.
Although globally known for smartphone chips, Qualcomm is expanding its operations into new areas. The company faces future challenges, such as the potential loss of its modem business with Apple, coupled with rising component costs and less robust demand for smartphones.
Amazon joins the group of major corporations supporting this expansion. Bob O’Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research, told Reuters that the agreement represents the kind of advancement necessary to assure the market that Qualcomm's ambitious data center goals can be met. He added that by integrating computing and optical interconnection, Qualcomm demonstrates the diversity of semiconductor technologies it can offer distinctly for AI infrastructure.
This collaboration occurs amid a context where large technology companies are seeking alternatives to Nvidia processors. Reuters mentioned a similar deal closed weeks earlier between Marvell Technology and Google, which allowed the search giant to acquire a stake of up to US$ 12.2 billion (about R$ 62.59 billion).
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At Amazon, the unit responsible for custom chips has also shown accelerated growth. According to Bloomberg data, this segment generated annualized revenue exceeding US$ 25 billion (about R$ 128.25 billion) in the quarter ending in June.
For Qualcomm, this contract positions one of the largest global technology companies among its data center clients, reinforcing its diversification strategy beyond the smartphone market.