Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the official launch of the Qualcomm AI Program for Innovators (QAIPI) 2026 – APAC, a startup incubation initiative designed to support the development and commercialization of innovative edge AI solutions by startups in South Korea, Singapore, and Japan.
Building on Qualcomm’s ongoing efforts in edge AI innovation, the second cohort of the QAIPI-APAC program enables participating startups to develop intelligent solutions across a wide range of edge AI application areas using Qualcomm Dragonwing and Snapdragon platforms, as well as the newly introduced Arduino UNO Q development board. Through the program, startups are expected to enhance both technical maturity and commercialization capabilities while laying the groundwork for global market deployment.
QAIPI places a strong emphasis on scalability, real-world deployability, and commercial readiness, supporting end-to-end AI use cases across sectors including consumer devices, healthcare, smart industry, smart cities, education, and industrial IoT. Participants gain access to Qualcomm’s global ecosystem, receiving advanced technical resources, engineering guidance, and expert mentoring to accelerate development from the ideation stage through to deployable products.
Applications for QAIPI 2026 – APAC are open until May 1, 2026, at 3:59 p.m. Korea Standard Time (April 30, 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time). Applicants will be evaluated based on innovation, technical feasibility, potential social impact, and commercial relevance. The program is conducted in two phases.
The application phase is open to eligible startups established and registered in South Korea, Japan, or Singapore. Selected startups will advance to the mentoring phase, which includes one-on-one technical guidance, online training, and dedicated technical support, along with access to Qualcomm technology-based hardware platforms and development kits.
Additional benefits include up to USD 10,000 in product development funding and up to USD 5,000 in patent filing incentives. Upon completion of the program, selected startups will have the opportunity to showcase their technologies at a demo day scheduled for the second half of 2026, engaging with industry leaders, investors, and potential partners from across the Asia-Pacific region.
Beyond technical and product development support, Qualcomm continues to help QAIPI-APAC startups connect with global markets and international innovation ecosystems. In 2025, Qualcomm supported selected startups in participating in major industry events, including SWITCH (Singapore Week of Innovation and Technology) in Singapore and a demo day in Seoul, expanding engagement with global customers, partners, and investors.
Building on this momentum, selected startups are also set to participate in the 2026 Smart City Summit & Expo in Taiwan in March, where they will pursue real-world validation, cross-market collaboration, and further strengthen pathways toward global commercialization.
Following its acquisition of Arduino, a leader in open-source hardware and software, Qualcomm has expanded its portfolio of development tools and ecosystems for innovators. The Arduino UNO Q open-source development board, powered by Qualcomm Dragonwing, supports Linux applications, real-time control, and lightweight AI inference, enabling rapid development of edge-intelligent applications.
Startups can also leverage the Qualcomm AI Hub, a developer-centric platform offering pre-optimized AI models, along with Edge Impulse, Arduino Project Hub, and curated GitHub repositories that provide optimized models and end-to-end demos based on real sensor data. These resources are designed to reduce development time and effort while accelerating deployment and iteration cycles.
Kwon Oh-hyung, President of Qualcomm APAC, said the rapid transition toward edge AI is creating new opportunities for innovation, productivity, and economic growth across the region. He noted that through QAIPI, Qualcomm is supporting startups in transforming ideas into scalable solutions and enabling the development of intelligent products that deliver low power consumption, high efficiency, and enhanced privacy through hybrid and edge AI technologies. He added that Qualcomm will continue contributing to the cultivation of a robust edge AI ecosystem, nurturing next-generation technology leaders, and driving meaningful innovation across industries and communities.
