INDEX / DIRECTORY / QUALCOMM

Qualcomm

Hardware & Semiconductors 80 CITED SOURCES UPDATED 2026-09-22 METHOD V6.5
BDS-1000 Score 626 /1000 B Tier B - Severe
OWNERSHIP TREE 26 brands and group businesses View all

OpenIntel is reader-funded - no sponsors, no institutional money. Support OpenIntel →

Key Findings

  • Economic: Qualcomm maintains Israeli R&D and acquired-technology operations, including Qualcomm Israel Ltd., Autotalks, and the 2026 acquisition of SAM Seamless Network; SAM has a documented service relationship with Bezeq, whose settlement-related telecommunications activity is separately documented.1, 2, 3, 4
  • Digital: Qualcomm Ventures invested in AnyVision, whose technology was independently reported as used at West Bank border crossings; this does not establish Qualcomm direction, hardware deployment, or access to biometric data.5, 6, 7
  • Digital: A 2026 Elbit Systems recruitment posting documents Qualcomm Snapdragon as a general-purpose edge platform used in an Elbit engineering context, without identifying a weapon, military programme, direct Qualcomm agreement, or Israeli state contract.8
  • Not found: No public evidence identified of a verified Qualcomm contract with Israeli military or security bodies, supply to Israeli defence primes or strategic weapons systems, settlement operation, or Israeli state cloud programme.9, 10, 11

Target Profile

FieldDetail
Company NameQualcomm Incorporated
JurisdictionUnited States - incorporated in California in 1985 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1991.12
HeadquartersPrincipal executive offices: 5775 Morehouse Drive, San Diego, California.12
SectorSemiconductors, wireless communications, technology licensing, connected-edge, AI, automotive, IoT, and software technologies.12
OwnershipPublic company. The 2026 proxy identifies Vanguard Group (10.53%) and BlackRock (8.71%) as disclosed beneficial holders above 5%; no Israeli controlling shareholder is disclosed.13
Key Executives / GovernanceCristiano Amon, President, CEO and director; Mark McLaughlin, Chair; Alex Rogers, EVP and President of Qualcomm Technology Licensing and Global Affairs.13, 14
Israeli-Nexus SummaryQualcomm has a sustained Israeli R&D, acquisition, venture-investment, and local-entity presence; the audited record does not verify direct Israeli military contracting or settlement operations.1, 2, 9

Key Facts:

Executive Summary

Qualcomm is a US-incorporated semiconductor and technology-licensing company with principal executive offices in San Diego. Its documented Israel nexus is principally economic and technological: local legal entities, Israeli engineering and R&D activity, repeated acquisitions of Israeli-origin technology businesses, and Qualcomm Ventures investments and personnel focused on Israel.12, 1, 17 The strongest current operational evidence is Qualcomm’s continued Israeli footprint following the Autotalks acquisition, the Netanya office lease for that activity, and reporting of the 2026 SAM Seamless Network acquisition.16, 18, 3

The most material documented economic chain concerns SAM. Reporting states that Qualcomm acquired SAM in July 2026 and that SAM would remain an independent Qualcomm business unit. SAM has a continuing service relationship with Bezeq, while the 2025 OHCHR database lists Bezeq for settlement-related activities and Norway’s Council on Ethics states that Bezeq supplies telecommunications services to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.3, 4, 19 This establishes ownership, customer, and separately documented settlement-telecommunications links. It does not establish that SAM software is deployed in settlements, in Bezeq settlement infrastructure, or to settlement customers specifically.3, 20, 4, 19

In the digital domain, Qualcomm Ventures’ 2018 investment in AnyVision is documented. Independent reporting in 2020 found that AnyVision technology was used to monitor border crossings between the West Bank and Israel, while not substantiating a broader allegation of a West Bank mass-surveillance programme.5, 6 The record does not establish that Qualcomm directed AnyVision’s deployment, supplied the hardware used, operated the system, or accessed its data.5, 6, 7 Separately, a March 2026 Elbit Systems posting confirms Qualcomm Snapdragon as one of the general-purpose edge platforms used by an Elbit image-processing and AI engineering team; it does not identify a particular programme, deployment, weapon, Israeli state contract, or direct Qualcomm support agreement.8

The military audit found no public evidence of a verified Qualcomm contract with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, IDF, police, security services, or named Israeli defence prime. Qualcomm’s verified military-specific work concerns US government and US Army programmes, including a US Army GPS M-Code and military-communications system-on-chip agreement, not Israel.9, 21 No public evidence identified links Qualcomm to Israeli lethal systems, Israeli defence export licensing, military-base services, settlement construction, or a named Israeli defence supply chain.9, 10, 11

Qualcomm’s resulting BRS is 626, placing it in Tier B (Severe Complicity) under the fixed V6.5 scoring record. That outcome reflects the score’s economic maximum, driven by the material Israeli R&D/acquisition footprint and the documented SAM–Bezeq commercial chain, alongside documented digital-risk vectors; it does not convert unverified military, settlement, or end-user allegations into findings.

Timeline of Relevant Events

DateEvent
13 October 2010Qualcomm Innovation Center acquired iSkoot Technologies; reporting described an associated Israeli R&D footprint.22
22 August 2012Qualcomm acquired Ra’anana-based DesignArt Networks.23
15 November 2012Qualcomm acquired certain EPOS Development assets and stated that joining team members would be integrated into Qualcomm Israel R&D.24
1 July 2014Qualcomm completed the Wilocity acquisition.25
27 November 2018Qualcomm Ventures participated in AnyVision’s Series A through Qualcomm’s AI Fund.5
20 March 2020An AnyVision-commissioned review reported that available evidence did not substantiate allegations of a West Bank mass-surveillance programme; independent reporting separately documented border-crossing monitoring use.6, 26
13 June 2022Qualcomm Technologies acquired Cellwize.15
28 November 2022Qualcomm introduced the Edgewise Suite based on acquired Cellwize technology.27
5 June 2025Qualcomm completed its acquisition of Autotalks.16
26 September 2025OHCHR issued its updated settlement-business database; Qualcomm was not listed in the audited annex text.4
19 February 2026Reporting stated Qualcomm leased Netanya office space for the Autotalks activity.18
March 2026An Elbit Systems recruitment posting identified Qualcomm Snapdragon among edge platforms used by its Haifa-based IBIS engineering team.8
1 July 2026Reporting stated Qualcomm acquired SAM Seamless Network and that SAM would continue as an independent business unit.3

Corporate Overview

Qualcomm Incorporated is a Delaware corporation whose product, services, engineering, and R&D businesses are conducted substantially through Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries.12 Its publicly documented business is commercial technology: wireless communications, semiconductors, licensing, connected-edge platforms, AI, automotive, and IoT technologies.12

The company’s current legal-entity disclosure identifies Qualcomm Israel Ltd. in Tirat Hacarmel/Haifa and Autotalks Ltd. in Kfar Netter.1 Reporting and recruitment material additionally support active Israeli engineering and R&D work, including 5G RF, firmware, modem, LTE/5G NR, hardware/software integration, and the continuing Autotalks-related physical footprint.28, 18

Qualcomm’s Israeli nexus also reflects a long acquisition history. Audited transactions include iSkoot’s Israeli R&D operation, DesignArt Networks, EPOS assets, the CSR Israel imaging unit, Wilocity, Cellwize, Autotalks, and SAM.22, 23, 24, 25, 15, 16, 3 The evidence primarily supports technology design, software, R&D, and venture-investment activity, rather than identified local fabrication; no public evidence identified of a Qualcomm-owned Israeli semiconductor manufacturing fab.12, 1

Qualcomm Ventures maintains an Israel and Europe investment operation. Its portfolio identifies Israel-linked investments, including active Wiliot and Mantis Vision holdings, as well as other Israel-associated portfolio relationships; these are venture and ecosystem relationships, not proof that Qualcomm procured portfolio products or contracted with Israeli security agencies.17, 29

Domain Summaries

Military: Military

Mechanism of Involvement

No public evidence identified of a verified Qualcomm contract, tender, framework agreement, memorandum, export licence, or end-user record involving the Israeli Ministry of Defense, IDF, Israel Prison Service, Border Police, Mossad, Shin Bet, or Israeli police.9, 10 No public evidence identified of Qualcomm supply to Elbit Systems, Israel Aerospace Industries, Rafael, or IMI/Elbit Land for a verified Israeli defence programme.10

Qualcomm’s QGOV operation markets communications and technology capabilities to US government customers. A current US Army DEVCOM/Army Research Laboratory record identifies Qualcomm Technologies as awardee for GPS M-Code and military communications on a system-on-chip, with a December 2022 award and an expected April 2027 completion date.21 This is verified US military work; it does not establish an Israeli end-user, Israeli programme, or Israeli defence supply relationship.21

A historical Qualcomm relationship with Everysight concerns Raptor consumer cycling augmented-reality glasses. Although Everysight originated as an Elbit spin-out, the reviewed sources do not establish Qualcomm supply to Elbit military helmet systems or another Israeli military product.30, 31

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

Qualcomm’s strongest defence is that its audited, purpose-built military work is documented for US government programmes, not Israeli customers.9, 21 Its Israeli acquisitions and local legal entities concern civilian telecommunications, networking, input technology, V2X, and software; those facts cannot by themselves establish defence contracting.1, 15, 16

The audit found no public evidence of Qualcomm involvement in Israeli weapons platforms, munitions, Iron Dome, Arrow, David’s Sling, Merkava, military aviation, military base services, settlement construction, or Israeli defence logistics.10, 11 Qualcomm’s non-inclusion in the searched OHCHR settlement-business annex is a bounded absence finding, not proof that all downstream uses are impossible.4

Named Entities and Evidence Map

EntityAudited relationship / finding
Qualcomm Government TechnologiesDocumented US government and military-oriented technology activity; no verified Israeli security customer identified.9
US Army DEVCOM / Army Research LaboratoryVerified Qualcomm GPS M-Code and military-communications SoC agreement; not an Israeli programme.21
Elbit Systems / EverysightHistorical consumer Raptor smartglasses relationship; no verified Qualcomm supply to Elbit military systems.30, 31
Israeli Ministry of Defense / IDF / SIBATNo public evidence identified of a verified Qualcomm contract, supplier listing, or programme relationship.9, 10

Digital: Digital

Mechanism of Involvement

Qualcomm Ventures participated in AnyVision’s 2018 financing round. Qualcomm described AnyVision as a face-, body-, and object-recognition startup.5 In 2020, independent reporting said a Microsoft-commissioned review confirmed AnyVision technology was used to monitor border crossings between the West Bank and Israel, while not substantiating a broader claim that it powered mass surveillance across the West Bank.6 Who Profits lists Qualcomm Ventures among AnyVision/Oosto investors and Qualcomm among partners.7

A March 2026 Elbit Systems Israel recruitment posting states that its Haifa-based IBIS team implements image-processing, computer-vision, and AI algorithms on platforms including Qualcomm Snapdragon.8 This supports a finding that a general-purpose Qualcomm edge platform was used in an Israeli defence-company engineering context. It does not identify a Snapdragon model, a weapon, a surveillance system, a military programme, an Israeli state procurement contract, or direct Qualcomm involvement in the work.8

Qualcomm’s privacy policy describes collection and global transfer of certain device, usage, diagnostic, geolocation, and road-data R&D information. Because Qualcomm operates an Israeli entity, this creates a documented theoretical data-exposure relevance; no public product-specific disclosure identified Israeli storage, processing, access, or an Israeli-government legal-access pathway for those data.1, 32

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

The AnyVision record is an investment relationship, not evidence that Qualcomm developed AnyVision’s facial-recognition model, directed its border-crossing deployment, provided hardware for that deployment, or had operational access to biometric data.5, 6, 7 The 2020 review did not substantiate the broader West Bank mass-surveillance allegation.6, 26

Likewise, Elbit’s recruitment posting concerns general-purpose Snapdragon platform use, rather than a documented purpose-built targeting, fire-control, autonomous lethal-decision, or kill-chain system.8 No public evidence identified of a direct Qualcomm contract with Israeli defence, intelligence, or security agencies; of Qualcomm offensive-cyber tooling for Israeli state actors; or of Qualcomm participation in Project Nimbus.9, 33

Named Entities and Evidence Map

EntityAudited relationship / finding
AnyVision / OostoQualcomm Ventures investment; independently reported border-crossing deployment of AnyVision technology, with attribution limits.5, 6, 7
Elbit Systems IBISRecruitment posting identifies Qualcomm Snapdragon among edge platforms used for image-processing and AI engineering.8
Qualcomm Israel Ltd.Current Israeli legal entity and engineering/R&D footprint; no identified Israeli security customer.1, 28
CyberArk / Check Point / Wiz / SentinelOne / NICE / VerintNo public evidence identified of a verified current Qualcomm procurement, licensing, or integration relationship in the audited searches.12, 34

Economic: Economic

Mechanism of Involvement

Qualcomm has a substantial documented Israeli technology and R&D footprint. Its current legal-entity list identifies Qualcomm Israel Ltd. and Autotalks Ltd.; public reporting identifies Israeli R&D centres, an Autotalks-related Netanya lease, and the July 2026 SAM acquisition.1, 28, 18, 3 Qualcomm also has a longstanding acquisition record involving Israeli-origin R&D, networking, semiconductor-design, V2X, and cybersecurity businesses.22, 23, 24, 25, 15, 16, 3

The SAM–Bezeq chain is the strongest settlement-adjacent economic evidence. Qualcomm’s 2026 acquisition of SAM is reported as continuing SAM as an independent Qualcomm business unit. SAM has a documented continuing service relationship with Bezeq, and Bezeq is listed in the OHCHR database under settlement-related activity categories (e) and (g). Norway’s Council on Ethics separately states that Bezeq supplies telecommunications services to Israeli settlements in the West Bank.3, 20, 4, 19

Qualcomm Ventures also maintains a dedicated Israel investment function and Israel-linked portfolio activity.17, 29 The Israel Innovation Authority lists Qualcomm among corporations participating in a collaboration track, although the evidence does not identify a Qualcomm-specific grant, tax benefit, tax contribution, or preferred-enterprise designation.35

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

The SAM–Bezeq evidence establishes an ownership and commercial-customer chain, plus Bezeq’s separately documented settlement-related activity. It does not establish that SAM software itself is deployed to settlements, to settlement subscribers, or in Bezeq settlement infrastructure.3, 20, 4, 19 This narrower geographical deployment question remains unresolved.

The earlier Cellwize–Partner Communications relationship predates Qualcomm’s acquisition of Cellwize. Although Partner appears in the OHCHR database, no public evidence identified that the Cellwize–Partner relationship continued after Qualcomm acquired Cellwize in 2022.15, 36, 4 The audit also found no public evidence of Qualcomm settlement offices, warehouses, retail locations, owned manufacturing facilities, agricultural sourcing, settlement-origin product inputs, or Israeli parent/control ownership.1, 13, 4

Named Entities and Evidence Map

EntityAudited relationship / finding
Qualcomm Israel Ltd.Current local entity in Tirat Hacarmel/Haifa.1
Autotalks Ltd.Israeli V2X operation acquired by Qualcomm in 2025; current entity listing and Netanya office evidence.1, 16, 18
SAM Seamless NetworkReported Qualcomm acquisition in July 2026; documented Bezeq customer relationship.3, 20
BezeqListed by OHCHR for settlement-related activities; Norwegian Council on Ethics states it supplies telecoms services to West Bank settlements.4, 19
Cellwize / Partner CommunicationsPre-acquisition Cellwize sale to Partner documented; post-acquisition continuity not verified.15, 36

Political: Political

Mechanism of Involvement

No public evidence identified of an official Qualcomm corporate position on Israel/Palestine, Gaza hostilities, Palestinian civilian harm, Israeli military operations, or a ceasefire. Qualcomm’s human-rights statement instead presents a general commitment to internationally recognized human rights, avoiding complicity, and due diligence across operations and business relationships.37

Qualcomm’s ordinary commercial Israel presence continued after the 19 July 2024 ICJ advisory-opinion benchmark and the November 2024 ICC-warrant benchmark through its existing Israel entity and 2025 Autotalks acquisition.1, 16 Qualcomm’s historic and current institutional links include Qualcomm Ventures activity and historical philanthropy by co-founder Irwin Jacobs and Joan Jacobs to Technion-linked academic initiatives and the Israel Democracy Institute’s Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society.17, 38, 39

Counter-Arguments and Evidence Limits

The principal defence is that the audited record does not identify a Qualcomm corporate donation to the IDF, FIDF, JNF/KKL, settlement organisations, reservist funds, or military-welfare bodies; anti-BDS lobbying; a settlement sponsorship; or conflict-period corporate resource mobilisation for Israeli state or military bodies.40, 41 The documented Jacobs philanthropic relationships concern academic and civic institutions, and the reviewed sources do not tie them to settlement activity, the IDF, or anti-BDS advocacy.38, 39

No public evidence identified of Israeli state ownership, an Israeli golden share, a government-appointed Qualcomm director, a Qualcomm foundational mandate to advance Israeli geopolitical interests, or a Qualcomm director holding a leadership role in AIPAC, FIDF, JNF/KKL, Regavim, Im Tirtzu, or a settlement organisation.12, 13, 40

Named Entities and Evidence Map

EntityAudited relationship / finding
Qualcomm IncorporatedNo identified Israel/Palestine-specific corporate position in the audited materials; general human-rights statement exists.37
Irwin and Joan JacobsHistorical Technion/Cornell philanthropy and current Israel Democracy Institute centre; no documented military or settlement linkage in reviewed sources.38, 39
Alex RogersLeads Qualcomm Technology Licensing and Global Affairs; biography does not identify an Israel/Palestine advocacy position.14
BDS National CommitteeOfficial priority-target guide reviewed; Qualcomm was not named in the audited text search.42

BDS-1000 Score

Method: V6.5

DomainIMPV-Domain Score
Military0.000.000.000.00
Digital6.102.503.501.09
Economic7.107.009.107.10
Political6.505.507.505.11

V_MAX is Economic at 7.10, reflecting Qualcomm’s sustained Israeli acquisition/R&D/venture footprint and the documented SAM–Bezeq commercial chain, subject to the unresolved question of SAM’s deployment geography. Political reflects continuing commercial presence and institutional links, while Digital records the qualified AnyVision and Elbit platform-use evidence. The method is scale-free, evidence-only, and human-vetted; it does not infer liability from ordinary Israeli presence or unsupported transitive associations.

Methodology Note

Footnotes

  1. https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/Qualcomm-Legal-Entity-List.pdf 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

  2. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/804328/000080432825000085/qcom-20250928.htm 2

  3. https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/bjvpttfmmg 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

  4. https://documents.un.org/api/symbol/access?l=en&s=A%2FHRC%2F60%2F19&t=pdf 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

  5. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2018/11/qualcomm-launches-100m-ai-investment-fund 2 3 4 5 6 7

  6. https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/29/divesting-from-one-facial-recognition-startup-microsoft-ends-outside-investments-in-the-tech/ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

  7. https://www.whoprofits.org/companies/company/6872/ar 2 3 4 5

  8. https://www.devjobs.co.il/job-details/4377748611 2 3 4 5 6 7

  9. https://www.qualcomm.com/government 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  10. https://www.sibat.mod.gov.il/OurServices/Pages/OpeningDoors.aspx 2 3 4 5 6

  11. https://www.un.org/unispal/document/business-database-26sep25/ 2 3

  12. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/804328/000080432825000085/qcom-20250928.htm 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

  13. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/804328/000110465926005781/tm2528704-1_def14a.htm 2 3 4

  14. https://www.qualcomm.com/company/about/leadership/alex-rogers 2

  15. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2022/06/qualcomm-acquires-cellwize-to-accelerate-5g-adoption-and-spur 2 3 4 5 6 7

  16. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2025/06/qualcomm-acquires-autotalks-to-boost-v2x-deployments - enhance-ro 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

  17. https://www.qualcommventures.com/team/boaz-peer/ 2 3 4 5

  18. https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-qualcomm-leases-office-space-in-netanya-1001535536 2 3 4 5

  19. https://etikkradet.no/bezeq-the-israeli-telecommunication-corp-ltd-2/ 2 3 4 5

  20. https://www.bezeq.co.il/media/PDF/cyber_plus/cyber_plus.pdf 2 3 4

  21. https://www.highergov.com/contract/W911NF2390001/ 2 3 4 5

  22. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/qualcomm-innovation-center-inc-acquires-iskoot-technologies-inc-a-leader-in-mobilizing-internet-services-on-the-handsets-most-people-use-today-104848099.html 2 3

  23. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2012/08/qualcomm-acquires-small-cell-pioneer-designart-networks 2 3

  24. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2012/11/qualcomm-acquires-assets-digital-positioning-technology-innovator-epos 2 3

  25. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2014/07/qualcomm-bolsters-wi-fi-leadership-60-ghz-wireless-mobile-computing-and 2 3

  26. https://oosto.com/press/ethics-update/ 2

  27. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/onq/2022/11/introducing-the-qualcomm-edgewise-suite-for-accelerating-5g-rollouts-and-open-ran-adoption

  28. https://www.devjobs.co.il/job-details/4378422980 2 3

  29. https://www.qualcommventures.com/portfolio/ 2

  30. https://www.qualcomm.com/news/releases/2017/10/everysight-and-qualcomm-announce-reshaping-cycling-experience-raptor-ar 2

  31. https://www.elbitsystems.com/news/elbit-systems-augmented-reality-smartglasses-spin-everysight-announces-exclusive-test-pilot 2

  32. https://www.qualcomm.com/site/privacy

  33. https://www.qualcomm.com/company/corporate-responsibility/acting-responsibly/sustainable-product-design/supply-chain

  34. https://d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0000804328/f995eeb3-1728-410b-8059-5b5256baac53.pdf

  35. https://innovationisrael.org.il/%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%99%D7%9E%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%90%D7%92%D7%99%D7%93%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%AA%D7%AA%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%91%D7%9E%D7%A1%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9C/

  36. https://devstyler.io/blog/2021/06/21/israel-s-cellwize-to-supply-intel-with-software-that-launches-5g-networks/ 2

  37. https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/qualcomm-human-rights-statement.pdf 2

  38. https://www.technion.ac.il/en/blog/2013/04/joan-and-irwin-jacobs-announce-133-million-naming-gift-for-the-technion-cornell-innovation-institute/ 2 3

  39. https://en.idi.org.il/centers/1157 2 3

  40. https://www.qualcomm.com/company/corporate-responsibility/acting-responsibly/public-policy 2

  41. https://www.qualcomm.com/content/dam/qcomm-martech/dm-assets/documents/qualcomm_political_contributions_and_expenditures_policy_final_.pdf

  42. https://bdsmovement.net/Guide-to-BDS-Boycott