Arduino

2026-05-12T09:12:26Z

Frostbit: Added archived links

{{Incomplete|Issue 1=needs at least one source from verifiable news source}}
{{CompanyCargo
|Founded=2005
|Industry=Electronics
|Logo=Arduino logo.svg
|ParentCompany=Qualcomm|Type=Subsidiary|Website=https://www.arduino.cc/|Description=Arduino is an Italian open-source hardware and software company owned by Qualcomm, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices.}}

'''{{wplink|Arduino|Arduino}}''', now a subsidiary of [[Qualcomm]], is an Italian open-source hardware and software, project, and user community that designs and manufactures [[wikipedia:Single-board_microcontroller|single-board microcontrollers]] and [[wikipedia:Microcontroller|microcontroller]] kits for building digital devices. Its hardware products are licensed under a [[wikipedia:Creative_Commons_license|CC BY-SA license]], while the software is licensed under the [[wikipedia:GNU_Lesser_General_Public_License|GNU Lesser General Public License]] (LGPL) or the [[wikipedia:GNU_General_Public_License|GNU General Public License]] (GPL),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Getting Started: FOUNDATION > Introduction |url=https://www.arduino.cc/en/guide/introduction |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829015201/https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction |archive-date=2017-08-29 |access-date=2026-01-13 |website=Arduino}}</ref> permitting the manufacture of Arduino boards and software distribution by anyone. Arduino boards are available commercially from the official website or through authorized distributors.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arduino - Home |url=https://www.arduino.cc/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260213164019/https://www.arduino.cc/ |archive-date=13 Feb 2026 |access-date=2026-01-13 |website=Arduino}}</ref>

==Consumer-impact summary==

*User Freedom: Before the Qualcomm buyout, Arduino was centered around free and open source software and hardware<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Matthew |date=2025-10-18 |title=Qualcomm Buys Arduino, and the Open-Source Community Is Skeptical |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/qualcomm-arduino-acquisition-open-source |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251020120810/https://spectrum.ieee.org/qualcomm-arduino-acquisition-open-source |archive-date=2025-10-20 |access-date=2026-05-05 |work=IEEE Spectrum}}</ref>, allowing even other companies to manufacture Arduino boards. After Qualcomm acquired the company... [Section to be finished]
*User Privacy: Post-acquisition, the company has claimed Qualcomm holds an irrevocable perpetual license over all projects uploaded to Arduino's servers, as well as retention of user data in a way that violates GDPR and similar legal acts.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2025-11-21 |title=EEVblog 1721 - RIP Arduino (New T&C Deep Dive) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7hdxyCNCA |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260204170410/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO7hdxyCNCA |archive-date=4 Feb 2026 |access-date=2025-11-25 |website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2025-10-29 |title=Terms and Conditions |url=https://www.arduino.cc/en/terms-conditions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222001450/https://www.arduino.cc/en/terms-conditions |archive-date=22 Feb 2026|access-date=2025-11-25 |website=Arduino}}</ref>
*Business Model: The sale of microcontrollers and microprocessors, referred to as Arduinos.
*Market Control: Significantly used within industries, however is competing with other microcontroller/processor manufacturers such as ''Raspberry Pi'', [[Intel]], and [[Panasonic]].

==Incidents==
This is a list of all consumer-protection incidents this company is involved in. Any incidents not mentioned here can be found in the [[:Category:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|{{PAGENAME}} category]].
===Terms of Use/Privacy Policy change (Nov 2025)===
In 2025, Qualcomm, an American semiconductor manufacturer, acquired Arduino for an undisclosed amount. Shortly after this acquisition, the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy for Arduino was modified in a way that harmed consumers.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

The following is an incomplete list of these changes:

*Introduction of an irrevocable, perpetual license granted to Qualcomm over all user-uploaded content

*Surveillance-style monitoring implemented for AI features

*Patent infringement identification clause preventing users from identifying potential patent violations

*Extended data retention of usernames for years after account deletion

*Global data integration of all user data (including minors' data) into Qualcomm's ecosystem
*User shall not translate, decompile or reverse-engineer the Platform, or engage in any other activity designed to identify the algorithms and logic of the Platform’s operation<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harding |first=Scharon |date=2025-11-24 |title=Arduino’s new terms of service worries hobbyists ahead of Qualcomm acquisition |url=https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/arduinos-new-terms-of-service-worries-hobbyists-ahead-of-qualcomm-acquisition/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251201034429/https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/11/arduinos-new-terms-of-service-worries-hobbyists-ahead-of-qualcomm-acquisition/ |archive-date=2025-12-01 |website=[[Ars Technica]]}}</ref>

==Products==

===Boards, SOMS, SBCs===

*Uno
*GIGA
*Nano
*MKR
*Portenta
*Nicla
*Modulino

===Kits===

*Starter Kit
*Plug & Make Kit
*Science Kit
*Sensor Kit
*Student Kit
*PLC Starter Kit
*Portenta Proto Kit

==See also==

===Microprocessor/controller manufacturers===

*[[Intel]]
*[[Panasonic]]
*[[Texas Instruments]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]

Consumer Rights Wiki - User contributions [en]

Arduino