Qualcomm to build research center in Korea, invest in Pulsus

01.02.2010
U.S. wireless technology developer Qualcomm plans to build a research and development center in South Korea and invest in Pulsus Technologies, a local chip maker.

The R&D center is being built in cooperation with South Korean academic, government and corporate institutions and will focus on next generation mobile communications technology, including mobile applications and mobile multimedia, Qualcomm said in a statement.

"Korea was among the first to adopt and successfully commercialize CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) technology, and Korean mobile handset manufacturers play a significant role in the advancement of the global wireless industry," Qualcomm said in a statement, adding that it has worked with Korean companies for nearly 20 years.

Qualcomm Ventures, an investment arm of the company, has agreed to invest in Pulsus Technologies, a developer of chips that transform audio signals and allow them to be amplified digitally.

The investment is part of a joint effort between Qualcomm and two Korean government agencies to invest in promising Korean start-up companies. Pulsus is the first investment made through this joint effort with the Korea Trade Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Ministry of Knowledge Economy (MKE), Qualcomm said.

Qualcomm representatives could not immediately be reached for comment on the size of the investment or other details.