Qualcomm has introduced two advanced automotive platforms centered on a single chip architecture. Leveraging its telecom expertise, the company aims to dominate the electric vehicle market, with 350 million vehicles set to utilize its “Digital Chassis” by 2022. The new Snapdragon Ride Elite chip boasts boosted processing power from its Oryon CPU core and enhanced AI capabilities, enabling support for numerous sensors and passenger monitoring systems. However, vehicles featuring this technology are unlikely to hit the road until 2027-2028.
Qualcomm, the leading smartphone chip manufacturer globally, has unveiled two groundbreaking components for its automotive platform. A key highlight of these innovations is their centralized architecture, which relies on a single chip rather than multiple components.
Already an unseen leader in the automotive sector, Qualcomm has effectively leveraged its telecom expertise. By 2022, around 350 million vehicles, including brands like Volvo, Renault, and Honda, utilized elements from its “Digital Chassis” solution.
The company is harnessing its computational technology—comprising CPU, GPU, and NPU—from mobile and PC research and development to secure a dominant position in the forthcoming era of electric vehicles.
Utilizing the Same CPU Architecture for PCs and Smartphones
Qualcomm’s recent advancements in the PC market, showcased by its Snapdragon X Elite and the impressive performance claims of the Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile processor, share essential foundations. This includes the introduction of an innovative in-house CPU core called Oryon.
By departing from ARM designs, Qualcomm has begun to develop most of its technological foundations for all-in-one chips, known as SoCs (System on a Chip), independently.
After initially exploring and then discontinuing custom CPU cores, Qualcomm acquired Nuvia in 2021—a venture established by industry veterans, including Gerard Williams, the creator of the Apple M1 CPU and the Snapdragon X Elite.
The Oryon core, which Qualcomm describes as “the most powerful and efficient CPU core in the industry,” fills a critical gap in its technology portfolio, enhancing its capabilities in various sectors, including automotive.
This advanced core equips Qualcomm to meet the growing computational demands in next-generation vehicles.
Massive Performance Gains to Match Sensor Advancements
In comparison to its predecessor, the Snapdragon Ride Flex platform, the chips powering the Snapdragon Ride Elite and Cockpit Elite exhibit unprecedented performance levels. The Oryon cores deliver a threefold increase in CPU power, mirrored by a similar boost in the Adreno graphics unit. This graphics system not only supports user interfaces and 3D mapping but also manages entertainment systems, now capable of handling up to 16 4K displays!
The most significant upgrade is in the Hexagon neural processor (NPU), which has seen a twelvefold increase in power. This enhancement supports advanced imaging capabilities and AI integration within vehicles.
This surge in computational power is not merely for show; it addresses the rapid expansion of sensors essential for driver assistance systems and optimizing passenger comfort.
With the Snapdragon Elite chip actively managing up to 40 sensors, including 20 high-resolution 360° 16MP cameras, the system is prepared for sophisticated tasks. The enhanced NPU is vital for detecting, classifying, and predicting objects and trajectories.
To further enhance its capabilities, Qualcomm’s Elite chip incorporates dedicated processing modules for LiDAR and radar data. These sensors play a crucial role in advancing autonomous driving systems by integrating diverse inputs to better identify environmental elements that one type of sensor may miss.
AI Influencing Passenger Experience and Vehicle Maintenance
Beyond driving assistance, the NPU and other computational components will also oversee the interior environment through various cameras. This internal monitoring is deemed crucial for detecting driver distractions and addressing passenger needs.
Passengers can express their requirements through gestures or voice commands. The system can process auditory requests, allowing for intuitive responses like adjusting the temperature if a passenger mentions feeling cold.
This AI-driven management will extend to offering maintenance assistance through advanced language models. The Snapdragon chip will run local AI assistants trained on the vehicle’s service manuals, allowing for efficient handling of commands and maintenance tasks.
With its considerable processing power, Qualcomm anticipates that these local assistants will learn and adapt to user preferences over time, making proactive suggestions and adjustments, such as altering temperature or highlighting nearby charging stations when battery levels are low.
Although the Snapdragon Ride Elite and Snapdragon Cockpit Elite are innovative, they won’t appear in vehicles on the road until after 2025, as the first samples and testing platforms will only reach manufacturers by then. Following additional development and testing phases for vehicle components, the rollout of these advanced systems in cars is expected between 2027 and 2028.