Meta, Qualcomm strike agreement on custom chipsets for VR headsets

(Reuters) – Meta Platforms Inc. has signed an agreement to allow chip-maker Qualcomm Inc. to produce custom chipsets for its Quest virtual reality devices, the companies announced on Friday at a consumer electronics conference in Berlin.

The companies’ engineering and product teams will work together to build the chips, which will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon platform, he said in a statement.

The agreement by Meta, which was known as Facebook until last year, signals a continued commitment to Qualcomm’s technology, even as it builds itself for the array of virtual, augmented and mixed reality devices. K tries to develop the custom silicone that it has planned.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Meta spokesman Tyler Yee told Reuters that the chipsets built through the collaboration will not be exclusive to Meta, but will be optimized specifically for the Quest’s system specifications.

He added that the agreement only covers virtual reality devices, and Meta will continue to work to develop some novel silicon solutions of its own.

“There may be situations where we use off-the-shelf silicone or work with industry partners on customization, while also exploring our own novel silicon solutions. There may be scenarios where we use the same product. We use both partner and custom solutions.” Yi said

“It’s about doing what’s necessary to create the best Metaverse experience possible.”

According to market intelligence firm IDC, Meta has relied on Qualcomm’s chips for its virtual reality devices for years, including the most recent Quest 2 headset, which captures about 90% of the virtual reality hardware market.

The company is also investing heavily in technologies like pass-through goggles and augmented reality glasses as it tries to bring to life chief executive Mark Zuckerberg’s vision for the Metaverse, a concept that encompasses an immersive set of digital worlds.

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