Feds probes Qualcomm deal covering microchips for autonomous cars

The FTC is not the only agency probing the Qualcomm deal. The European Commission last week said it would also need to approve the deal after more than a dozen member states asked it to investigate. The deal would “combine two of the main suppliers of V2X semiconductors in the [European Economic Area],” according to a commission statement. “The V2X technology is key to improving road safety, traffic management and reducing CO2 emissions as well as for the deployment of autonomous vehicles,” the European Commission said in its statement. The FTC contended that Qualcomm used its monopoly control of critical technology to charge anticompetitive licensing fees and block out competing chipmakers.