Despite its fierce legal battle with Apple, Qualcomm was hoping that the iPhone maker would start using its modems in iPhones once again. But that looks increasingly unlikely. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports that Apple is “aggressively” trying to poach Qualcomm engineers, most likely to design radio chips for the future iPhones. Apple has posted as many as 10 job listings on its website for chip design-related positions.
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Why Apple might be interested in Qualcomm engineers
Gurman noted that all the new positions are located in San Diego, right in the backyard of Qualcomm. Apple began using Qualcomm modems in iPhones in 2011, but it started sourcing modems from Intel as well in 2017. As the legal fight between Qualcomm and Apple intensified, the Cupertino company entirely ditched Qualcomm and chose Intel as the sole supplier. Modems enable a smartphone to connect with cellular towers and support WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
It’s the first time Apple is “publicly recruiting” for these types of roles in San Diego, the hotbed for chip design. The location of new positions suggests that Apple is clearly eyeing to recruit Qualcomm engineers for these roles. Until now, most of Apple’s chip design efforts have been concentrated around its Cupertino headquarters. The job listings reveal the engineers will be working on a variety of chip components including wireless chips and the Neural Engine AI processor.
Apple already has chip designing facilities in multiple locations. Most of them are located close to the campuses of other major chipmakers to poach their talent. Given Intel’s modems are not as good as Qualcomm’s, Apple has strong reasons to poach Qualcomm engineers to strengthen its in-house chip-designing efforts. The Cupertino company has a strong and growing chip development arm.
It’s not yet known whether the iPhone maker has already opened an office in the backyard of Qualcomm to house the new engineering talent. Apple could also place them in offices it acquired through the purchase of AI startup Emotient and Shazam. The company is said to be hiring engineers with expertise in LTE, Bluetooth as well as new technologies such as millimeter wave (mmWave) and 5G connectivity.
