SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 7 (Reuters) - Qualcomm ( QCOM ) on

Tuesday said it has acquired Arduino, an Italian

not-for-profit firm that makes hardware and software for

developing prototypes of robots and other electronic gadgets.

San Diego-based Qualcomm ( QCOM ) is a major supplier of chips at the

heart of mobile phones but has been expanding into other

fields such as connected vehicles, wireless earphones, laptop

computers and industrial machines. With the Arduino deal, it

will acquire an open-source platform with more than 33 million

developers.

The companies did not disclose the price of the deal.

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) said Arduino "will retain its independent brand, tools

and mission."

Arduino is widely used by high-school and university

students worldwide to learn how to build and program electronic

devices. It is also used by professional engineers to develop

prototypes quickly.

Its software and hardware is compatible with chips from

a range of providers beyond Qualcomm ( QCOM ). The two firms said they

will continue to support chips from other makers.

Qualcomm ( QCOM ) also said it will introduce an Arduino development

board powered by one of its "Dragonwing" processing chips that

will be suitable for devices such as robots that need

computational power similar to a computer or phone along with

real-time control over wings, wheels or other robotic elements.

The chipmaker said it will be the first board to work with a

new coding tool called "AppLab" aimed at helping Arduino

developers bridge the gap between coding languages used in

robots and those used in more complex artificial intelligence

systems.