Could Broadcom Possibly Absorb Qualcomm?Could Broadcom Possibly Absorb Qualcomm?

How big can a chip company get? Let's find out!

Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM) is considering acquiring Qualcomm Inc. (Nasdaq: QCOM), according to a report in Bloomberg today. It would probably be the biggest semiconductor merger ever, given Qualcomm's market capitalization of $92 billion.

That valuation is up 14% from yesterday's, by the way -- because that's how much Qualcomm's stock shot up today on the report. Broadcom shares are up 4% on the day, putting its valuation at $116 billion.

Chip giants are merging at a surprising rate. The current incarnation of Broadcom is a combination between the old Broadcom and Avago, a deal worth roughly $37 billion. (See Avago Seals Deal to Buy Broadcom for $37B.)

Broadcom is also in the home stretch of its $5.9 billion Brocade acquisition -- sounds quaint by comparison, doesn't it? -- and announced today that it's moving its headquarters to the US from Singapore. (See Broadcom Heads Home, Clears Way for Brocade Buyout.)

Qualcomm, meanwhile, is in the throes of a big merger of its own, for NXP Semiconductors. That deal was expected to close by the end of this year. (See Qualcomm Makes $39B Bet on NXP.)

A Broadcom-Qualcomm tie-up would make life interesting for Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC) -- which, as long as we're slinging around big numbers, has a market cap of $214 billion. It would put together two of Intel's biggest traditional rivals.

— Craig Matsumoto, Editor-in-Chief, Light Reading