Gunderson Dettmer Represents Modular AI in Acquisition by Qualcomm

Gunderson Dettmer represented Modular AI in its agreement to be acquired by Qualcomm. 

Modular is an AI infrastructure company building a unified compute platform designed to make AI development and deployment more open, efficient and accessible. By bringing Modular into Qualcomm, a computing leader at the center of the AI era, the company strengthens its ability to lead the next wave of agentic AI across edge, cloud, and data center environments.

“Modular was founded on the belief that AI needs a more open and efficient software foundation that can span diverse hardware and deployment environments,” said Chris Lattner, Co-founder and CEO, Modular, in an announcement of the transaction. “Joining Qualcomm gives us the scale and platform reach to accelerate that mission. Together, we can make AI development more accessible and performant for developers, strengthen portability across hardware, and help grow an open ecosystem that broadens participation and speeds innovation. We are excited to continue advancing our software platform as part of Qualcomm’s broader strategy from edge to cloud.”

“We are incredibly proud to have been part of Modular’s journey from the very beginning,” said Gunderson Dettmer corporate partner Trevor Knapp. “From their founding in 2021 to becoming one of the most exciting AI infrastructure companies in the world, it has been a privilege to work alongside Chris, Tim, and the Modular team each step of the journey as they pursue their mission to build a platform that makes AI faster, more efficient, and available to everyone. Their story reflects the innovation economy at its best – from idea to investment to execution and scale. Gunderson Dettmer's relationship with Modular and role in this transaction showcases exactly the kind of work we’re trusted to deliver – partnering with visionary founders and investors who are building the future.”

The Gunderson deal team was led by Knapp, M&A partners Andrew Luh, John Olson, and Jenn Sayles Okorn, corporate of counsel Andrew Person, and M&A associate Alex Walsh and included corporate associates Matt Fagan, Allen Amin, Alan Gao, Marissa Boykin, and Vikram Dharasker, executive compensation partners Craig Olshan and Michael Richman and associate Erik Ward, data privacy partner Anna Westfelt and associate Carrie Brown, tax partner Lily Kim and associates Tina Xu and Ray Fang, regulatory partner Gregory Kinzelman, public companies partner Andrew Thorpe, strategic transactions and licensing partner Shawna Reeder, of counsels Julie Mahoney and Nathan Lovejoy, and associates Lizzy Song, Janice Poon, and Lucine Mikhanjian, and employment and labor partner Max Perlman and associate Mark Macchi.