Apple currently hiring former Qualcomm engineers to work on wireless modem hardware, focusing on San Diego area

Per an article published on Thursday by Bloomberg, Apple has begun aggressively hiring engineers in San Diego, the headquarters of Qualcomm. The company is said to be looking for designers in San Diego who will help develop wireless components and processors for its iPhones, a move that would further weaken Qualcomm.
Apple has posted 10 job listings in San Diego over the past month, the postings searching for engineers to work on Apple’s Neural Engine artificial intelligence processor and wireless modems. This marks the first time Apple has publicly recruited for these types of jobs in San Diego.
It’s thought that Apple is working on creating its own wireless chips for future iPhone models, which Apple has relied on firms like Qualcomm and Intel in years past.

Following a dispute with Qualcomm, Apple made Intel the exclusive supplier of wireless modems for the iPhone XS, XS Max, and iPhone XR handsets in 2018.
The two companies have been embroiled in a legal dispute since early 2017, with the most recent news suggesting that Apple is not in talks “at any level” to settle the dispute. Next, Apple is gearing up for a full legal trial with Qualcomm.
The lawsuits between Apple and Qualcomm began in January 2017 when Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion, accusing Qualcomm of charging unfair royalties for “technologies they have nothing to do with” and failing to pay quarterly rebates. Apple and its suppliers stopped paying licensing fees at that time.
Qualcomm eventually filed a countersuit claiming that Apple had infringed on several of its patents, and attested that its technology is “at the heart of every iPhone.” Since then, both companies have filed multiple lawsuits against one another, and Qualcomm even sought import and export bans on some iPhones in the United States and China.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via MacRumors and Bloomberg