Arduino

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Arduino

Basic information
Founded	2005
Legal Structure	Subsidiary
Industry	Electronics
Also known as
Official website	https://www.arduino.cc/

Arduino, now a subsidiary of Qualcomm, is an Italian open-source hardware and software, project, and user community that designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building digital devices. Its hardware products are licensed under a CC BY-SA license, while the software is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) or the GNU General Public License (GPL), permitting the manufacture of Arduino boards and software distribution by anyone. Arduino boards are available commercially from the official website or through authorized distributors.

Consumer-impact summary

• User Freedom: Before the Qualcomm buyout, Arduino was centered around free and open source software and hardware, 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.
• 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 Arduino 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.

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

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